Ben Hunt: The gamble F1 cannot afford to lose at the Las Vegas GP

The new F1 race director will come under huge scrutiny in the Las Vegas Grand Prix - and that could put further strain on the championship’s relationship with the FIA

The talk ahead of this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix will be about Max Verstappen being set to win his fourth consecutive Formula 1 world championship. 

He can seal it in the race on Saturday night by finishing ahead of nearest challenger Lando Norris and it is absolutely right that the sporting aspect takes top-billing.

But beneath the surface there is the intriguing sub-plot featuring another test to the relationship between different parties - governing body the FIA, Formula One Management and F1’s teams and drivers.

It comes after the FIA confirmed last week that Niels Wittich had stood down from his role as F1 Race Director after the Brazilian GP. The news was a surprise to those working at the organisation and sources have suggested it was a case of Wittich being pushed by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, rather than jumping of his own freewill.

Last week, Autosport argued this was a good opportunity for the FIA to re-evaluate its set-up and look at appointing a professional body of race stewards and at least two race directors.

Having spoken to several insiders at last week’s F1 commission meeting in Geneva, it was said that it is too soon for a vote of no confidence in the FIA after yet another crucial departure.

But they agreed that the rate of key staff leaving the organisation, plus having an inexperienced race director in Rui Marques, who will temporarily fill in to oversee the final three grands prix of 2024, was nonetheless a concern.

To an outsider, it seems that Ben Sulayem has always distanced himself from the departures and there has been no official word denying that Wittich was sacked. A cynic could point out that Wittich’s axing came following a Grand Prix Drivers’ Association statement in which it criticised the behaviour of the FIA President.

Earlier this year, Ben Sulayem waxed lyrical to Autosport about how he pioneered a training programme to have ready-made race officials, saying that “you cannot order them on Amazon”.

It was all full of gusto and self-promotion but it also means that the scrutiny will be on the super-sub Marques and his handling of the race - and indeed Ben Sulayem, who is ultimately responsible for him being there as part of the aforementioned training programme.

It is important not least because Verstappen can win the title, but because of what the Las Vegas GP means to FOM and F1 owners Liberty Media.

Liberty has gambled by committing such a huge investment in the Vegas race that it simply cannot afford for it to fail. It is therefore crucial for the second instalment of the Las Vegas GP to be a success.

Firstly, the interest will naturally drop off after all the overblown hype on its debut, which actually provided good racing and saved the event from what was otherwise a disaster.

You’ll remember Verstappen had openly criticised the razzmatazz while also being dismissive of the circuit itself. After qualifying in third, the Red Bull driver delivered the zinger: “Monaco is Champions League and this is National League.”

That came after Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari was ripped open by a loose manhole cover, prompting serious delays to the point where spectators were ejected from the grandstands as security staff had reached the work-hour limit on their employment contracts.

It was a PR mess and put simply, Liberty Media cannot afford another monumental error, which is why having an untested race director in place for such a crucial showpiece should - and does - raise concerns.

Marques’s decisions will come under scrutiny and, as a fresh face, undoubtedly teams and drivers will try to forge their own relationships and perhaps even attempt to assert their influence.

The pressure to get each decision right - while also keeping everyone happy - is going to be huge. And if he doesn’t, it could make life for the FIA, particularly Ben Sulayem, incredibly difficult.