In its detailed analysis of the controversial safety car management at the end of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP race, the FIA investigated the radio communications Masi was facing in the key final minutes.
In that report, they revealed two conversations that took place with the Red Bull and Mercedes teams.
On lap 56, the FIA highlighted a conversation between Masi, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner , and Red Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley , which took place when the message came through that lapped drivers would not be allowed to overtake.
The conversation went like this:
Horner: Christian a Michael.
Masi: Yes, go ahead Christian.
Horner: Why aren’t we getting these bent cars out of the way?
Masi: Just give me one…because Christian…give me a second…Okay, the main thing, the important thing, is to clean up this incident.
Horner: We just need one lap of racing.
Massi: Yes.
Wheatley: Obviously, those lapped cars, you don’t have to let them go… they immediately turn around and catch the field.
Massi: Understood.
Wheatley: You need to let them…
Massi: Understood. Just give us a second.
Wheatley: …and then we’ll have a car race.
Massi: Understood.
On the next lap, when five drivers were told they could overtake, clearing the cars between Verstappen and Hamilton, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff radioed Masi.
Wolff : Michael… Michael, this is not right. Michael, that’s not right. That is not right.
Then, immediately after the safety car returned to the pits, there was another message.
Wolff : He [SEE] just overtook under the safety car.
The FIA report concluded that those two conversations had consequences as they added less than ideal pressure on Masi during critical moments, as well as allowing him to be distracted from his work.
It read: “The consensus of the participants involved in the detailed analysis and clarification exercise was that those communications with the Race Director by the Red Bull Racing and Mercedes team bosses during the final laps of the Abu Dhabi GP in F1 2021 had a negative impact on the good development of the last laps because they were distracting at a time when the Race Director had to focus on making difficult decisions and against the clock.
And then he added: “Therefore, it was considered that these communications were not necessary or useful for the proper development of the race.”
“Rather, the consensus was that they added pressure to the Clerk of the Course at a critical moment (i.e. at a time when the Clerk of the Course must simultaneously supervise the cars on the track, the deployment of the correct flags, and the stewards’ progress in clearing the track, and also being the liaison with the Track Manager regarding the end of the safety car period) and could try to influence (either directly or indirectly, or intentionally or unintentionally) the decisions made by the Race Director.
“With that in mind, the consensus of those involved in the detailed analysis and clarification exercise was that communications between (on the one hand) the F1 teams and (on the other) the race director during a race should be restricted so that race director can perform his crucial role without unnecessary interruptions or distractions.
The FIA has changed its procedures for this year, and teams no longer have direct radio communication at all times with the Clerk of the Course.
Any conversations that take place between the teams and race control will be conducted through another representative at race control, who will then pass on any important information to the Clerk of the Course.
