Report suggests 'Masi no longer FIA race director, gets a role in safety'

Michael Masi has been under fire since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The way he directed the closing laps of the race was, according to many, unfair on Lewis Hamilton, who lost the world title to Max Verstappen because of Masi's decision. There is a chance that we will not see the Australian back as race director in 2022.

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is having a busy start as FIA President. After lengthy consultations in London, he announced that the FIA will be implementing 'structural changes.' What exactly these will entail is currently unknown, but it would suggest changes to the personnel within F1 and the FIA. 

Masi in a different role

Well known Sky Sports F1 journalist Craig Slater has revealed that there might be a change in personnel. It is quite possible that Masi will no longer act as race director from 2022 onwards. According to Sky Sports, he will not be fired directly from the FIA, but will be able to take on a role in the safety of the sport. "If that were to be confirmed in the coming days, that might be the material change that perhaps Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton were looking for," says Slater.

Since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the position of race director Masi has come into question. The Australian gave unclear signals by initially not removing the cars that were a lap between Hamilton and Verstappen, but soon after he reversed this decision and announced they could pass the safety car. This allowed Verstappen to attack Hamilton on the final lap of the season and enabled the Dutchman to win his first world title.