Formula 1 drivers have expressed their satisfaction with the sport’s new race director, Rui Marquez, after his debut during the Las Vegas GP weekend.
Formula 1 drivers have expressed their satisfaction with the sport’s new race director, Rui Marquez, after his debut during the Las Vegas GP weekend.
Earlier in the week, George Russell, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, voiced frustration over the FIA’s abrupt decision to replace Niels Wittich with Marquez, who had previously served as the race director for F2 and F3.
“And, you know, it’s a hell of a lot of pressure onto the new race director now with three races to go,” Russell said on Wednesday.
The move also raised eyebrows among other figures in the paddock. Former F1 driver Timo Glock told Sky Deutschland: “The way this came about—and I heard this from the drivers—was strange. And the fact the teams weren’t informed beforehand.
“It seems like there’s actually no clear reason for it. I think we’d all just like to know why.”
Ralf Schumacher, another ex-F1 driver, criticised the FIA’s decision-making process.
“There’s a lot of money and a lot of responsibility at stake here, and from that point of view, it is an absolute misjudgement by (Mohammed) Ben Sulayem, who apparently made this decision personally,” Schumacher said. “That is of course an absolute no-go.”
Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur also questioned the timing.
“For sure, the momentum of this decision is a bit of an odd topic for me because we are at the end of the championship,” he said. “It’s probably the three most difficult races to manage.”
However, the initial skepticism seems to have eased amid Marquez’s first weekend in charge. After leading Thursday’s drivers’ briefing and making prompt changes during the event, drivers began to warm to his approach.
Mercedes driver George Russell described his experience with Marquez as “positive.”
“I think we’ve been through a little bit of an era where our comments are taken on board, but very little change happens,” Russell said. “But when a number of drivers spoke about the track limits at the exit of turn 4, he made a change to it in the moment, and I think that’s what we want to see as drivers.
“We want to be heard, and we want to see action taken straight away. So I mean, so far it’s been positive.”
Carlos Sainz of Ferrari echoed Russell’s sentiments.
“I think he’s been given a very difficult task, but honestly, the first weekend straight from the go, I think he’s been really good,” Sainz commented.
“The driver’s briefing was one of the best we’ve had in a long time. We also asked for some changes on the pit entry to make the line more visible, and today we turn up and the line was widened with a blue line. We were all saying this was a very nice change and with a very good approach.
“The way we were listened to was honestly very positive, and I’m encouraged by that.”
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly added to the praise, saying: “It’s been a great start, and great to see good communication. So far, very positive.”
