Michael Masi Leaves the FIA
In a statement on Tuesday, FIA confirmed that the former F1 Race director would move to Australia, closer to his family.
Former Formula 1 Race Director Michael Masi has decided to leave the FIA, a few months after he was sacked for being primarily involved in a controversial decision in the championship deciding race in Abu Dhabi last year. As Verstappen and Hamilton battled for the championship and the race victory till the last lap, a late Safety Car complicated the conclusion of the race.
It was Masi’s decision to restart the race, which eventually saw Verstappen win the battle over Hamilton. A lot of hype was raised after this, and the FIA probed an official investigation. It was clarified that under normal conditions, the race would have ended under the safety car and Hamilton would have won. But, citing “human error”, and being under a lot of pressure, Masi had incorrectly interpreted the safety car rules, and sped up the race restart. It was also justified by the fact that the “fans don’t want a finish under the safety car.”
FIA understood that Masi had acted on “good faith”, but found it imperative that he be replaced. Ahead of the 2022 season, Masi was replaced by Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich as race directors. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem insisted Masi to remain with the FIA as he was “still an important figure” in the company.
Masi was appointed as race director in 2019, after the sudden demise of Charlie Whiting. He oversaw the race proceedings and the Safety delegations for the next 3 years.
In the statement released by the FIA, quote, Masi had decided to relocate to Australia, where he would be closer to his family and would be able to take on new challenges. Masi himself in a recent statement, said quote, “It has been a pleasure and honour representing the FIA as the Single-Seater Sporting Director and FIA Formula 1 Race Director and Safety Delegate since Charlie’s unexpected and tragic passing in Melbourne 2019“.
He further added that he was proud and grateful to be a part of various FIA events and appreciated the support of the officials, colleagues, family and friends, particularly in the past few months. He did not make any mention of his career-changing incident of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year.
However, he will always be remembered by the fans for the events in Abu Dhabi, which caused so much dispute, which led up to the implication of Mercedes leaving the sport, unless he was replaced.
