Formula 1 race director Michael Masi is under siege following his decision to restart the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix under controversial circumstances being heavily scrutinised.
Holding the top spot since the death of Charlie Whiting in 2019, the Australian is responsible for making crucial decisions surrounding red flags, the safety car and the orderly overtaking of lapped cars to uphold a safe and fair racing environment.
However, the former deputy race director of Supercars is accused of failing to follow the rules of F1, instead orchestrating a drama-filled conclusion to the 2021 championship.
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Masi has come under fire for two incidents that occurred during Monday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and ultimately had an impact on awarding the world champion title to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
The first action in question came after Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen nearly collided just six corners into the opening lap, with Hamilton leaving the track to avoid contact after an aggressive lunge from Verstappen.
Despite outcry from Red Bull that Hamilton should give first place back to Verstappen, Masi said Hamilton had already conceded the advantage he had gained by slowing his pace following his return to the track.
Therefore it was ruled that no further investigation was needed.
The second and far more influential affair concerned the late restart protocol Masi instigated after Williams driver Nicholas Latifi crashed at turn 14 in the closing stages of the race.
Masi chose to deploy the safety car with four laps remaining, causing the cars to bunch up in formation.
After initially instructing the lapped cars to not overtake the safety car – contrary to the normal procedure – it looked likely that the race would end under safety car conditions.
This outcome would have awarded Hamilton the win and subsequently the championship after showing unmatched pace throughout the race.
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However, race control then abruptly altered their directive, permitting only the five drivers separating the title rivals to unlap themselves, effectively positioning Hamilton and Verstappen side-by-side for a final lap sprint.
This was met with shock and excitement from both teams because of the gulf in tyre degradation and compound between the two cars, given Verstappen had taken the opportunity under the safety car to pit for fresh, soft-compound tyres.
Masi’s role in potentially determining the world champion has also not been helped by radio messages broadcast between himself and the team officials.
“No, no Michael – that was so not right,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said over the radio.
“Toto, it’s called a motor race. We went car racing,” Masi replied.
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Mercedes has flagged its intenation to appeal to the FIA based on Article 48.12 of the FIA Sporting Regulations which argues, “any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car”.
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