FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has announced that once again F1 will have multiple race directors when the 2025 season gets underway with the Australian Grand Prix.
It is an approach the motorsport governing body employed for most of the 2022 F1 season, in the wake of Michael Masi leaving the role after the controversial season finale in Abu Dhabi the previous year.
Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas job shared the position until the latter was stood down after his calling of the Japanese Grand Prix.
At a sodden Suzuka Circuit, a recovery vehicle was allowed on track – after Carlos Sainz crashed on the opening lap – without all the remaining drivers having regrouped.
Jules Bianchi’s ultimately fatal accident occurred at the same circuit in 2014 in similar conditions, when the Marussia driver aquaplaned into a recovery vehicle.
Freitas was widely criticised for the decision at the time, with onboard footage not seen on broadcast going viral in the aftermath.
That caused an FIA investigation into the incident, with the governing body admitting mistakes were made in Japan.
As a result, Wittich would oversee the remaining four rounds of the season and held the position until he was replaced by Rui Marques late last year. In total, Freitas was race director for eight grand prix in F1.
However, it is a system the FIA is happy to re-adopt for the campaign to come. But, is that the correct decision, or would F1 be better served by the consistency of just one race director?
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