On Saturday, the day of qualifying at the Formula 1 Bahrain GP, the FIA published the report on the controversial end of the 2021 season in Abu Dhabi, which attributes the events that occurred to a “human error” by Michael Masi at the control of race.
Masi did not apply two articles of the sporting regulations, but, according to the report, he acted “in good faith”. Since then, the FIA has overturned its F1 operations system, including the addition of two race directors who will alternate in the role and who will receive greater support.
The FIA announced in February that Masi had lost his job as race director but would be offered a new role within the organization. Since then, no further updates on his future have been released.
FIA President Ben Sulayem , speaking for the first time since the Abu Dhabi report was published, said the decision to replace Masi was made to “take pressure and stress off him”, and that talks were underway to find him. a new role in the organization.
“We are grateful for the three years he has spent with us and the time he has put into it,” Ben Sulayem said.
“But now we are negotiating with him, of course, to keep him in the FIA. He is an important figure for us. Our people are looking for another position for him within the FIA.”
Ben Sulayem says he was “pleased and relieved” by the release of the Abu Dhabi report, which offers F1 final closure after a period of controversy after the world championship was decided on the final lap of the race.
He said that the control of the race could not continue to function as before, and recognized the wear and tear that the race director has come to suffer.
“There can’t be a single director,” said Ben Sulayem. “That’s why we’ve brought back some of our staff, like Herbie [Blash], for example, to support the race director.”
“In addition, we also have to do rotations, not just one. If you talk about 23 races, human fatigue is there, there are many trips.”
Ben Sulayem also revealed that the idea of creating a new virtual race control room, which will offer greater support to the race control present on the track, stemmed from a visit he paid to an F1 team earlier this year.
“The idea came to me in January when I visited some of the Formula 1 teams and went to one of the presentations,” said Ben Sulayem.
“I said, ‘what is that, it looks like a theater!’ and they told me that this is actually a race control, but virtual. I said, ‘why don’t we have one? I asked ‘do we have one?’ And they told me no.”
“So now we’ve invested in it and it’s actually working now. We’re delivering on everything that was promised.”
“There is a new race control. Also new stewards, they will have the help of the legal department, and our support. The virtual race control will not direct the race. That will be done from the circuit.”
