F1 Insider confirms there will be multiple race directors in the 2025 season

F1 journalist Erik van Haren has confirmed that the FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, has announced that there will be multiple race directors for the upcoming season. Sulayem announced the news from Madrid earlier on February 7, following a season that saw the departure of race director Niels Wittich who had assumed the role in 2022 and left before the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The journalist took to social media to announce the news, as well as adding a quote from the sporting organization's head.

"FIA President Ben Sulayem confirmed today in Madrid that there will be several race directors in F1 again this year. This after the sudden departure/resignation of Niels Wittich at the end of last season. "There will be fresh blood, and more than one race director." #F1" [translated from Dutch]

The duty of a race director includes having control over the entire race weekend, which includes practice, qualifying, and the main race, while also overseeing the stewards and marshals on track. The director also decides what flags are to be waved during different points in a race, as well as when to send out the safety car, and is reponsible for observing drivers' track violations. They are also in charge of pressing the button that makes the lights go out to signify the start of the Grand Prix.

The longest standing F1 race director in recent history was Charlie Whiting, who held the job for 20 years until his passing before the first race of the 2019 season in Melbourne. His deputy, Michael Masi was promoted into the role from that season and held on to the position until his removal after the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi. His successor was Wittich, who shared duties with Eduardo Freitas, until the final four races of the season when the former was made the sole director.

After Wittich's departure last year, Rui Marques, who has been race director in F2 and F3, was brought on to take on the role till the end of the season.

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F1 to race in Madrid for the first time in 2026

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem made his announcement regarding the addition of multiple race directors to the sport for the upcoming season from Madrid, which will be a home to a GP from 2026 onwards, based on an announcement from last month.

The 3.4-mile circuit will be a hybrid, featuring part-street and part non-street sections on the track which is located the area of Campo de las Naciones.

Speaking about their readiness for next year's F1 season and updates on the status of the track, Madrid's mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida said:

"We are confident that the works will begin during the second half of this year because we are almost ready for the Formula 1 Grand Prix to be held next year. Therefore, we have to have the circuit and all the infrastructure ready," [via GPBlog]

The F1 2025 season will begin with the Australian Grand Prix, taking place in Melbourne on the weekend of 14th-16th March.