F1 bosses ‘plotting to save’ under-fire Michael Masi after Abu Dhabi controversy

12/14/2021

The fate of Formula 1 race director Michael Masi may not be sealed after all following reports his bosses are hard at work attempting to salvage his position.

It was reported Masi, 42, 'faced the sack' after his intervention helped Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and, as a result, his first F1 world championship on Sunday.

The Australian made the decision to clear the track of competitors and allow the two title contenders to fight it out over a single, deciding lap at the Yas Marina Circuit.

That's despite the fact Mercedes star Hamilton held an 11-second advantage over Red Bull driver Verstappen when Nicholas Latifi's crash led to a safety car with five laps to go.

Verstappen, 24, benefited given he pitted to change his tyres just prior to returning for the final showdown, which proved another key factor in his last-gasp overtake to win the crown.

But the Daily Mail has reported lawmakers at the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) are already preparing changes that would protect Masi from future furores.

The most notable of those is a proposal to restrict the number of people who can directly radio into Masi during grand prix races.

Red Bull chief Christian Horner was in contact with Masi prior to him reversing his decision to allow lapped cars to overtake the safety car on Sunday, believed to be one of Mercedes' major gripes.

One insider is quoted, who said: "Having one channel in would protect Michael from a barrage of messages that might be seen to try to influence him. Nothing has been decided on this issue but it is being looked into.

"Michael is very good but needs a better team around him."

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The Australian has stood as the FIA's F1 race director since March 2019 when predecessor Charlie Whiting died three days before the season was set to get underway in Australia.

Stefano Domenicali only took over as F1's president and CEO in 2021, while it was recently reported technical director Ross Brawn will step down from his position at the end of 2022.

With so much recent change and more on the way, those at the FIA may prefer to keep some continuity if Masi's future can be salvaged.

Mercedes launched two protests immediately after Sunday's race but were rejected at each turn, with Masi yet to publicly comment since one of modern motorsport's biggest controversies.

The constructor champions have until Thursday evening to lobby an appeal against the Abu Dhabi result, still hopeful it may be overturned to award Hamilton a record-breaking eighth world title.

Hamilton, 36, was seen congratulating Verstappen after the race despite the controversy, while the Dutchman said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolffhad also messaged the new champion.

"Toto sent me a text saying ‘congratulations on the season’ and that I deserved to win it, so that was very nice of him of course," Verstappen told reporters.

'The Decider in the Desert' was billed as one of the biggest F1 finales of its kind, and while the occasion didn't disappoint, Masi has become an unfortunate focal point of the result.

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