FORMULA ONE race director Niels Wittich has left his role and been replaced by Rui Marques, the FIA confirmed today.

The race director duties sees them responsible for a number of areas over a grand prix weekend, including if the safety car or virtual safety car needs to be deployed as well as speaking to drivers concerning any on-track worries.

German Wittich had taken on the position towards the end of the 2022 campaign, having initially shared the role with Eduardo Freitas after the departure of Michael Masi.

The FIA simultaneously announced Portuguese Marques would now be stepping up from his recent race director roles in Formula Two and Formula Three ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

“The FIA can confirm that Niels Wittich has stepped down from his position as F1 race director to pursue new opportunities,” a statement from the FIA read.

“Niels has fulfilled his numerous responsibilities as race director with professionalism and dedication. We thank him for his commitment and we 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 track marshal, scrutineer, national and international steward, deputy race director and race director in various championships.”

The news came on the same day Alpine announced they have entered a power unit and gearbox agreement with Mercedes-Benz ahead of the 2026 Formula One World Championship.

Mercedes will supply Alpine with power units from 2026, in an agreement running until at least 2030, and will also receive Mercedes gearboxes from 2026.

Meanwhile, Aston Martin have announced that Dan Fallows will no longer serve as technical director of the F1 team from November, but confirmed he would remain with the group.