The former race director of Formula 1, Michael Masi, was one of the people who made the most headlines after the controversial end of the race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen was proclaimed world champion, but what was your job and how long have you been in that position?
Who is Michael Massi?
Australian Michael Masi was the FIA’s race director for Formula 1, acting as a referee on grand prix weekends and overseeing that all on-track activities ran safely. In addition, he was F1’s safety delegate, playing a key role in various areas, including inspecting circuits for homologation. Masi was also closely involved in drafting the sporting regulations for the FIA Formula 1 championship.
What experience did you have before F1?
Before landing in F1, Masi gained experience in the sport in various capacities in Australia, mainly in the popular Supercars category, but his first time in F1 was as a youngster, as a spectator at the 1992 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. . He had uncles who raced in a club, and in his teens he worked for Super Touring teams.
From 2003, it was a member of TEGA , the organization of the TouringCar Entrants Group Australia, which became an operational organization for Supercars. Masi had his first experience working closely with the stewards and in race direction in that category.
In 2008 he was hired by CAMS , the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport, and in that role he helped organize some Formula 1 grands prix for the first time, such as Singapore in 2008 or Korea in 2010, supervising the training of the local commissioners. He also participated in karting and rallying in Australia, returning to the Supercars organization in 2012, becoming race director in 2015, a role he held for four years before focusing on F1.
How long has Michael Masi been race director in F1?
The race director position was held by the legendary Charlie Whiting from the early 1990s, with Herbie Blash as his replacement. After Blash retired, French Toro Rosso engineer Laurent Mekies was his replacement, before returning to Ferrari.
Whiting needed a right-hand man for the 2018 F1 season, asking Masi and Formula E race director Scott Elkins to share the job for that campaign. After working nine races that year, Masi was chosen to continue in the same role for 2019, as well as being the permanent deputy for F2 and F3. Sadly, Whiting passed away just days before the first race of the 2019 season in Australia, and Masi filled the gap for that weekend in Melbourne. Shortly after, it was confirmed that he would be in that position until the end of the year, and in January he was officially appointed as Formula 1 race director, but the events at the end of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix led to his dismissal.
What was the job of the race director in Formula 1?
On the weekends of competition, Masi was in charge of the direction of the race, and some direct decisions fell on him, such as stopping the sessions due to red flags, the use of safety cars or virtual safety cars, or the notices to the pilots with the black and white flags. It also made announcements about the track limits and monitored them at each track. However, he is not the one who penalized the participants, because that was the job of the stewards , a group of four people, including an ex-pilot.
Normally, Masi told the stewards what actions to review, and they decided whether or not an investigation was necessary. In the event that an investigation was required, they made a report and ruled on the pertinent sanction in accordance with the sporting code.
Masi also communicated with the rest of the track marshals, who were all over the circuit, with the track secretary, who was the highest local manager. After each race, Masi reviewed the activities that had taken place over the weekend and made suggestions on possible improvements.
How did the race director communicate with the drivers and the teams?
The sporting directors also had their own meetings with Masi, and they were held on the Thursdays before each event, before the cars hit the track, but, like the drivers, they could come to him at any time when a mishap occurred. . Masi used to communicate with the sporting directors during the races through radio messages, and, usually, it was to report that a driver had gained an advantage by going off the track.
Something that also happened frequently is that he warned the teams that their driver had to return the position to avoid a penalty, while the teams could ask him questions or raise issues. These radio messages were broadcast for the first time on television since the 2021 season, and team bosses were found to have in-race conversations with Masi, but for 2022 this was removed at the request of paddock members.
