Ex-race director criticizes the FIA for making Masi the "scapegoat" for Abu Dhabi decision
18:27, 18 Apr
7 Comments
Kada Sárközi joined GPblog as an editor in the 2023 season, while completing his Bachelor’s degree in Sports Journalism at the University of Gloucestershire. Kada grew up close to the Hungaroring, where he fell in love with the competition.
Kada speaks three languages after living in various countries across Europe, and enjoys writing opinion pieces, in order to start conversations about the sport, which will always have a soft spot in his heart.
Former F1 race director Niels Wittich believes that Michael Masi was used as a 'scapegoat' after the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP season finale.
According to Wittich, who left his race director role towards the end of the 2024 season, Masi "didn't do much wrong" during the final moments of the Abu Dhabi GP five years ago, where Max Verstappen claimed his first Formula 1 title defeating Lewis Hamilton.
"The regulations didn’t strictly define everything. What he did was within his authority. He had a certain level of discretion in how to deploy the safety car," he explained on Formel1.de's YouTube channel.
Wittich says that teams agreed that races should not finish behind the Safety Car, but under green flag conditions. It was discussed over multiple meetings.
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"In Abu Dhabi, the situation was such that any intervention would have disadvantaged someone. You could have red-flagged the race, but that requires specific conditions like danger to personnel or a blocked track. That wasn’t the case. So red flag wasn’t really an option.
“Then came the lapped cars question. Initially, he said they wouldn’t unlap themselves, then he allowed it, but modified the usual procedure by not waiting an extra lap. That was within his authority under the regulations at the time.
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“He essentially did what everyone had agreed upon, create one final racing lap. It produced a spectacular finish, an overtake, a winner and a runner-up. It could have gone the other way just as easily. That’s sport."
According to Wittich, a Safety Car is always controversial. Reflecting on the people who said a red flag would have been more fair, he added: "Yes, you could, but those would have been inconsistent decisions compared to earlier races. And consistency is key.
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"In meetings with the teams in early 2022, I asked them directly: ‘Do you want us to red-flag every minor incident?’ They said no. ‘Do you want different rules for the final race?’ Again, no."
Wittich found FIA's reaction disappointing
The German explained that he and many of his colleagues felt Masi lacked support from the federation and was made the "scapegoat".
"That’s something that needs to be clearly criticised. Everyone knew that in extreme situations, you’d be left on your own.
"In the past, under Charlie Whiting, there was always backing from FIA leadership. Max Mosley stood firmly behind him. That support wasn’t there anymore. It still isn’t. That’s one of the reasons I’m no longer a race director in Formula 1.
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"Whatever happened, there was no proper discussion, no backing for employees. And that’s the worst takeaway from that whole situation," he concluded.
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