Rui Marques, the freshly appointed FIA Race Director, has now shared his initial thoughts on taking on this crucial role for the final three races of the 2024 F1 season. His entry comes following the announcement of Niels Wittich's departure, who had served nearly three years in the position. Wittich later clarified that he did not resign, leading to speculation about the reasons for his exit being linked to reported conflicts with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Bringing a Wealth of Experience

The Portuguese official brings with him an extensive wealth of experience. He has worked with the Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation and previously served as an assistant race director in the World Touring Car Cup. Most recently, Marques oversaw the action as the race director at the Macau Grand Prix, where the Formula Regional World Cup faced a chaotic qualifying session with an unprecedented 12 red flags. This challenging event is likely to serve as valuable preparation as the F1 series heads into its third-last round in Las Vegas this weekend.

The FIA recently announced Marques' appointment, stating: "The FIA can confirm that Niels Wittich has stepped down from his position as F1 Race Director to pursue new opportunities. Niels has fulfilled his numerous responsibilities as Race Director with professionalism and dedication. We thank him for his commitment and wish him the best for the future. Rui Marques will assume the role of Race Director from the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Rui brings a wealth of experience having previously served as a track marshal, scrutineer, national and international steward, Deputy Race Director, and Race Director in various championships. Most recently, he held the position of Formula 2 and Formula 3 Race Director."

Speaking to the media in Macau, Marques was asked about being asked by the FIA to take over the race director role effective from the Las Vegas Grand Prix. He responded, "It's not a question of being surprised. Things evolve, and the experience we gain brings us these possibilities. Things evolve, and the experience we gain opens up these opportunities. I believe all of us grow within the categories we enter thanks to the history and experience we accumulate. Macau is another one of those experiences. We bring the experience from Macau to city races, to circuits of this kind. Macau is part of this whole picture."

Uncertainty about 2025

Despite his urgent onboarding, Marques is unsure if he will be in F1 in 2025. He said, "At the moment, I'm going to race until the end of the year. Then we'll see about the future."

When asked if he was affected by the fact that three race directors had gone through the same position, he said, "No, it's another category for which I'll be race director."

Penalties and the Race Director's Role

When asked about the penalties handed to Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc for using expletives on camera, Marques laughed and said, "I'm not going to go into that. I'm just a race director!" This shows his focus on the core responsibilities of his role rather than getting involved in such matters.