The position of Michael Masi has been in question since the controversial end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, when the doubled drivers who were among the leaders, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, who were playing for the title, went to the safety car after the accident by Nicholas Latif.
The Red Bull rider took advantage of the Canadian’s crash to go through the pits and mount a fresher set of tires, which helped him win the world championship on the last lap.
The investigation into what happened at Yas Marina, as well as the analysis of how to improve the FIA’s procedures, continues, and the option of having more than one race director and rotating during the campaign is being considered.
It has also been considered to provide additional remote help for those responsible for race control, in a similar way to the teams, who have the help of the engineers from the factory for a better strategy.
Bayer has held the post of FIA general secretary for sport since 2017, and last December took on the role of executive director of the single-seater department, something that was already agreed before the Abu Dhabi controversy, so he is closely tied to what happened.
“He has done a great job,” Bayer told journalist Gerhard Kuntschik when asked about Masi. “We have told them, but there is also the possibility that there will be a new race director. I can only make suggestions to the World Council, and for sure they will include it.”
Bayer also expressed his opinion on how Masi, who did not speak to the media after Yas Marina’s race, had dealt with the criticism : “He has developed a strong skin against individual attacks from teams.”
“When you work at the FIA, you have to be aware that you work for the sports police. It’s rare that you get sympathy, like in real life,” said the agency worker. “What has become unbearable is the reactions on social media, they will stop at nothing, as seen with the death threats against Nicholas Latifi.”
“Michael doesn’t take social media into account, but the hostility from other channels affected him a lot. I will assure him of the support of the federation in our discussions, and I let him know that we want to continue working with him, but I needed him to understand that we have to deal with the issue,” acknowledged Bayer.
Regarding the reduction of the workload, he added: “There will be a division of the tasks of the race director, who is also the sporting director, safety director and track delegate.
The FIA member went on to talk about the Abu Dhabi investigation : “We have to catch up in the organization. Masi had times when he had to decide in a few seconds, he could have finished the race with the safety car or stopped it, but Latifi’s accident wouldn’t have justified it, or he could have done what he did.”
Bayer also indicated that if Mercedes had upheld its appeal, the result of the race might have changed, but not the world championship, as Verstappen was ahead before Abu Dhabi.
“I think the stewards would have said it’s different in the regulations, he made that decision, so we could overturn the result, but even then, if it was overturned, Max would have been champion.
The head of the single-seater department confirmed, as expected, that team principals will not be able to speak to the race director over the radio during grands prix.
Last season, the team bosses had the opportunity to talk to Masi, as seen with the recommendations of Toto Wolff and Christian Horner on track actions, something that caused a lot of controversy.
“They will no longer be able to intervene in this channel, but they will still be able to ask questions. We want to create a barrier with a member of staff who handles these queries. In the future, the race director will be able to focus on their task and not be distracted,” Bayer said.
Regarding the new race procedures, he commented that they will try to continue finishing the grand prix without the safety car: “We asked the teams if it was relevant, to which they all answered yes”.
Meanwhile, the FIA does not have among its plans to accelerate the investigation process into the last laps of Abu Dhabi, despite having convened an extraordinary meeting of the World Motoring Council.
The highest body scheduled the virtual meeting for next February 3, but indicated that it will not cover Formula 1 issues. Thus, the calendar has not undergone any changes, and new measures will not be applied either.
