Criticism of F1 race directors grows: 'We miss the experience Masi had'

More and more critical voices are being heard towards Formula 1's new race directors. Yuki Tsunoda even expressed his confidence in the FIA, which, according to the Japanese, acts inconsistently when handing out penalties. Sebastian Vettel and Kevin Magnussen agree with Tsunoda's suggestion that the new race directors lack the experience that Michael Masi had.

In the aftermath of the Monaco Grand Prix, a controversy arose: Ferrari filed a protest against Red Bull Racing, but Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were found not to have violated the rules. The confusion appeared to be traced back to an error by race director Eduardo Freitas, who had copied the relevant section of the Event Notes directly from those of the previous year.

Tsunoda expressed his dissatisfaction with the working methods of the new race directors, who he said lacked the experience that the dismissed Masi had. Vettel agrees and says that the managers are in a difficult position because they are currently under a magnifying glass.

The Aston Martin driver thinks the sport would benefit from having a more experienced race director. "What we're missing now is the experience that Michael [Masi] brought to the track because he's done it for so long and grew up with it," he says according to the Independent.

Magnussen has also noticed a difference between Masi and the new race directors, he tells Autosport.com. According to the Dane, this has made it more difficult to understand and follow the rules properly. He too believes that things have become not more, but less consistent since Masi's forced departure after the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.