Haywood will take on the role of deputy race director at the 2022 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix and four others after having held the role in 2019 and 2020.
A key member of the FIA race control team for many years, he worked very closely with the late race director Charlie Whiting , and on some occasions with Michael Masi .
He retired from his main job at the regular body in May last year, but kept a consulting role. Wittich and Freitas, after the FIA announced that they were placed as race directors, will alternate in the grand prix of the 2022 season.
However, the Portuguese has to miss five F1 weekends due to his current WEC commitments, and Haywood will stand in for him on those occasions.
Herbie Blash , who was Whiting’s deputy until he stepped down in 2014, has also returned to the FIA, is present at Sakhir in a senior advisory role, and is expected to do at least the first six races.
Haywood came to the sport as director of race systems in 1994, with timing operations among his responsibilities. After a brief spell in the WRC, he moved to the FIA in 2004 as director of race control systems .
He ran the logistics part of the operation for Whiting, overseeing the issuance of documents and helping to review incidents. After the Briton’s death, Haywood served as deputy race director alongside Masi in 2019 and 2020.
It is inevitable that Wittich will be under some pressure this weekend, and the presence of Haywood and Blash at his side will give the teams and drivers more confidence.
“First of all, the most important thing for us as a team is to go into this new season now that the sporting regulations are clear, and that we know the race direction set-up for this new campaign,” said McLaren boss Andreas Seidl , when asked by Motorsport.com.
“I personally know Niels and Eduardo from the different projects I’ve been involved in in the past, and I also had a few conversations with them in the Barcelona paddock,” continued the German.
“In the last two weeks, Niels has also started to prepare, together with the sporting directors, this first race weekend. They held several meetings, including the one with the team managers,” said Seidl. “Right now, we’re just looking forward to the season, and we look forward to working with them.”
Meanwhile, the new FIA race operations center in Geneva, dubbed virtual race control by FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem , was tested for the first time in free practice for the Bahrain GP on Friday.
This will be used to support actual race control on the circuits, but will also play a role in helping to train marshals and race directors.
