Former FIA F1 race director condemns Las Vegas GP marshals on live track

Former FIA F1 race director Niels Wittich has criticised the sight of marshals running across a live race track during the opening lap of the Las Vegas Grand Prix

Former FIA Formula 1 race director Niels Wittich has branded the marshals on track during the Las Vegas Grand Prix as "absolutely unacceptable".

Wittich served as the F1 race director from 2022, alongside Eduardo Freitas initially, before assuming a full-time position in 2023. The German remained in the role for 2024 before he was replaced by Rui Marques for the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

While the FIA said he stepped down from the role, Wittich later claimed he was surprised and that "no one has been able to give me an answer" as to why he was removed from the position.

During the opening lap of the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix, a group of marshals could be seen running across the live race track to clear debris from race-start collisions.

"This must not happen. This is a situation that is absolutely unacceptable," Wittich told Sky Germany after the race. "Of course, you always have the set-up, especially at Turn 1 at every start you put the marshals in motion or at least on standby, because that is the biggest controlled gap you have at the start, once the last car has passed. In case there is any debris or parts that need to be picked up.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 22: Marshals sweep debris from the track during the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas at Las Vegas Strip Circuit on November 22, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Bagnall/Sutton Images)

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

"But for it to take so long that the cars are basically already coming back around on their flying lap, a double yellow flag is not enough anymore at that point. That is simply wrong, and I can’t understand how this has now happened for the second time this year.

"The easiest way to react to something like this, even if you can see that something is delayed or that a situation needs another action: a full course yellow can be activated within one second, and then everyone has to slow down. That would have been the fastest and simplest solution to clarify and secure such a situation. From my point of view, you don’t want to see that."