Reuters
Formula One F1 – New FIA President Press Conference – Paris, France – December 17, 2021 New FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem during the press conference REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Reuters
Formula One F1 – New FIA President Press Conference – Paris, France – December 17, 2021 New FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem during the press conference REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix triggered a massive outcry amongst the entire Formula One community; F1 Race director, Michael Masi, meddled with the rulebook and unfortunately posed himself as the deciding factor in the title fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
This led to a huge uproar from several teams and drivers, demanding the sacking of Masi. However, there were also acknowledgments that Masi was not at peace while making the decision, as he had both Red Bull and Mercedes on the radio piling more pressure into manipulating his verdict.
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Eventually, he made a call that went absolutely wayward and caused Hamilton to lose the championship to Verstappen on the very final lap. There is also no guarantee that any other person in place of Masi could have handled it any better.
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Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen celebrates winning the race and the world championship REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Hence, despite turning down multiple protests from Mercedes, the FIA launched an inquiry into the Abu Dhabi GP, weeks after the season-ender. So, with the verdict due in the coming days, here’s all about how the discussions have progressed so far.
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Any developments into the F1 inquiry?
According to BBC, the new FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, recently consulted with the F1 team bosses to seek their views on the incidents that unfolded in Abu Dhabi.
The FIA’s secretary-general for motorsport and executive director of single-seaters Peter Bayer, too, held a meeting with the teams’ sporting directors. And quite interestingly, Masi chaired the meeting, but when the topic of safety car operation in Abu Dhabi arrived, he recused himself.
Reuters
Formula One F1 – New FIA President Press Conference – Paris, France – December 17, 2021 New FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem during the press conference REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Following the two meetings, the FIA arrived at a conclusion that, in the future, the race director’s actions must refrain from being unpredictable. So, is Masi’s path clear? Will he remain the race director heading into the 2022 season?
Well, he still has one last hurdle to surpass. Bayer will next be joining the drivers to hear their opinions on the events that happened at Yas Marina late last year. And only then, the final decision on the future of Masi will be made.
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