Formula One race director Michael Masi has been sacked after the controversy surrounding the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Lewis Hamilton.
In December last year, Hamilton was set for a record-breaking eighth world championship win at the F1 season finale, seeming to be in control for the majority of the race.
However, a late safety car threw a spanner in the works. The race was restarted with just one lap to go, allowing Red Bull’s Max Verstappen – on fresh tyres, compared to Hamilton’s old ones – to overtake and win the race.
According to F1’s sporting regulations, as per Motor Sport, ‘Any cars that have been lapped by the leader will be required to pass the cars on the lead lap and the safety car… once the last lapped car has passed the leader the safety car will return to the pits at the end of the following lap.’
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Masi was widely criticised following the race, especially after he tried to defend the decision by saying, 'It’s called a motor race, we went car racing.' Coming after rumours he'd be replaced for the next season, the FIA has since confirmed he'll be moved to another position.
'I would like to inform you that a new race management team will be put in place starting in Barcelona for the test session. Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas will act alternatively as Race Director, assisted by Herbie Blash as permanent senior advisor,' FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said, per Mirror Online.
'Michael Masi, who accomplished a very challenging job for three years as Formula 1 race director following Charlie Whiting, will be offered a new position within the FIA. I presented this complete plan to the members of the World Motor Sport Council and the Senate who gave their full support.'
While slammed by many F1 commentators, Red Bull's team principal Christian Horner praised the decision at the time. 'We were screaming at him ‘let them race’, that’s what we’ve been talking about all these years, let them race,' he said soon after Verstappen's victory.
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'And this championship came down to the last lap and a great strategy call, to make that pit stop, to take that set of softs. And then it was down to Max to make it happen.'
Speculation surrounding Hamilton's eventual return to F1 has suggested it may hinge on Masi's future in the sport, but Mercedes has all-but-confirmed his participation in this year's season.
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Topics: Sport
Cameron Frew