Michael Masi's position as race director is already under threat, and previously ignored radio exchanges from the Abu Dhabi GP have seemingly made his position worse.
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In the aftermath of the controversial ending to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the man who’s borne most of the heat has been FIA race director Michael Masi.
During a Safety Car period at the end of the race, Masi controversially let only the lapped cars between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen unlap themselves.
This was in contravention to regulations, which state all lapped cars must unlap themselves. The timing of the Safety Car ending was also not in accordance to regulations.
Masi’s position is already under threat, and previously ignored radio exchanges have seemingly made his position worse.
It is worth noting this audio has been publicly available since December 16, 4 days after the race. But these parts were seemingly glossed over by many.
However, that does not make it any less damning. Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley advises Masi on how to deal with the lapped cars – and Masi agrees.
“Those lapped cars; you don’t need to let them go right the way around and catch up with the back of the pack. You only need to let them go, and then we’ve got a motor race on our hands.”
Masi replies: “Understood.”
Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner had said something similar during the race and it was broadcast. However, this latest reveal will do little to ensure the controversy dies down.
The FIA have also responded to this, saying they are aware of these exchanges. “We are aware of this and it is part of the investigation,” an FIA spokesperson said.
Former F1 race driver and current analyst Martin Brundle believes Masi’s position as race director is now under bigger threat.
Brundle termed the audio exchanges ‘uncomfortable’ and said that people were understandably offended at how everything was handled.
But he further added that this puts Masi even more in the spotlight – and not in a good way.
“I made a comment that changing Michael Masi won’t fix the problem, meaning that it’s way too big a job for one person,” Brundle was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
“That doesn’t mean to say I’m in full support for Michael Masi. I think he’ll struggle to keep that position. The trouble is that the spotlight will be on him, and every single decision will be analysed.
“What happens if Lewis is up for a penalty? Will he be lenient on that? I think he’s in an untenable situation.
“You can’t unravel the result. Red Bull did nothing wrong, and Ferrari did nothing wrong in third place for example. You can’t penalise them.
“The FIA can only penalise themselves for getting it wrong on the day. Michael Masi got it wrong, due to a lot of circumstances.”
