One noteworthy aspect of the document, not mentioned in it but confirmed to Motorsport.com by several sources, is that neither Masi nor his Abu Dhabi deputy Scott Elkins were actually questioned as part of the investigation.
This fact must be taken into account, but despite the lack of ability to defend, Masi comes out of this remarkably.
Indeed, there is no direct criticism of his actions other than a reference to “human error” regarding the lapped cars behind the safety car.
Instead, there is a detailed explanation of why his job was so difficult, and how the infamous radio interventions from team bosses Christian Horner and Toto Wolf affected his distraction from work.
Indeed, summarizing the findings of the report, the FIA makes the following significant statement: “Combined with the goal of finishing under the green flag racing conditions applied throughout the 2021 season, the report concludes that the Race Director acted in good faith and, to the best of his knowledge, given the difficult circumstances, especially given the significant time constraints for decision-making and the enormous pressure exerted by the teams.”
Masi is rarely mentioned by name in the actual report, and instead refers to his office in general terms.
One key part of the resume is that he has taken on or been given too much responsibility.
He replaced Charlie Whiting, a workaholic who had over two decades to juggle the many jobs he had. Masi did almost everything that his predecessor had done before, with the exception of being a race starter.
“The race director role is inherently demanding and requires a lot of pressure,” the FIA says. “However, a recurring theme in the detailed analysis and clarification was the concern that the number of race director roles and responsibilities that have accumulated over the years could add further pressure to the role.
“From 1997 to 2019, Charlie Whiting served as race director. Following the death of Mr. Whiting in March 2019, Michael Masi was appointed as the new Race Director. Previously, Mr. Masi served as F1, F2 Deputy Race Director. and F3 since 2018. Mr. Masi has also taken on Mr. Whiting’s functions as Safety Delegate and (since 2021) Single Seater Sports Director.
Andreas Seidl, McLaren F1 Team Principal with F1 Racing Director Michael Masi
Photo: Charles Coates/Motorsport Images
“Suggestions made by the F1 Commission and those interviewed included that some of the responsibilities of the Race Director should be segregated and transferred to others in order to reduce the burden on the Race Director and allow them to focus on their key functions, including management and control. race.”
It’s totally uncomplicated: it was absurd that in the era of COVID travel restrictions and with the longer calendar that Whiting experienced, in addition to his racing weekend work, Masi also had to visit new places like Jeddah and Qatar to inspect the track. .
Obviously, he was happy to take on a large load. The question is why didn’t Jean Todt or anyone else in the organization realize that he was doing too much?
Radio interventions and their broadcast is another key area detailed in the report. Whiting would never allow television to use his team pit wall conversations, but at the request of F1 and with the support of the FIA, Masi agreed that they could be used in 2021.
Critics might argue that this showed a weakness in Masi’s make-up – that he was happy to be in the spotlight and raise his profile – but what pressure, if any, was put on him to say “yes”?
Hand in hand with the decision to broadcast pitwall messages for race management came the tacit permission for team principals to be involved, something that had never happened before, but obviously it was great for the show.
In Abu Dhabi, this backfired.
The FIA acknowledges the error as follows: “Much of the debate has centered around the purpose and appropriateness of these messages, and whether in-race communication between F1 teams and the race director should be broadcast or allowed at all.
“The consensus of those involved in the detailed analysis and clarifications was that relevant messages to the Race Director from the Red Bull Racing and Mercedes team leaders during the last laps of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had a negative impact on the smooth running of the race. the last laps because they were a distraction when the race director needed to focus on making difficult and time-limited decisions.”
The real problem here was that Masi handled key safety issues and provided protection for the track marshals cleaning Nicolas Latifi’s wrecked Williams. As he tried to restart the race with countdown laps, the last thing he wanted was harassment from the teams.
Safety car and Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo: Simon Galloway/Motorsport Images
The FIA notes: “When the Safety Car is deployed, the Race Director must, in particular, observe the cars on the track, the order in which they are placed, the placement of the appropriate flags, the progress of the intervention of the Marshals, and then, if the Course Secretary considers that conditions permit, order the safety car to leave. track.
“Therefore, the race director has to manage both the cars on the track and the intervention of the safety car and what happens at the scene, that is, a significant number of tasks that must be completed in a minimum amount of time to allow the race to resume. safely and as quickly as possible, while at the same time responding to the demands of the team leaders, which requires enormous concentration.
“Consequently, it was found that these messages were neither necessary nor useful for the normal course of the race. Rather, everyone agreed that they are increasing the pressure on the race director at a critical moment. […] and may attempt to influence (directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally) decisions made by the Race Director.”
As a result of what has happened, communication with race management will not be broadcast this year and will be severely limited – indeed, new race director Niels Wittich told the team managers/sporting directors in Bahrain that their first contact would be one of his team members. which will act as a filter.
And the team leaders will definitely not be allowed to speak.
Again, one might ask, why didn’t anyone at the FIA realize during 2021 that radio communications were getting out of control and perhaps put restrictions on this all-important final in Abu Dhabi?
Another obvious conclusion is that Masi should have had more support.
Racing control lost a lot of experience when Herbie Blasch left in 2014, with Whiting dying in 2019 and former deputy race director Colin Haywood retiring in early 2021 after working alongside Masi for two years.
There are good reasons why both Blash and Haywood were called back to support Wittich this weekend.
A highly publicized virtual race control center that will act as a form of VAR will provide additional assistance to Wittich and his colleague, new Race Director Eduardo Freitas.
Niels Wittich, FIA Race Director
Photo: Mark Sutton/Motorsport Images
In summary, there is nothing in the report to suggest that Masi screwed up, or made a mistake, or did something inappropriate, and this, as already noted, was done without him being allowed to defend himself. and provide additional context as to why he did what he did at that time. Fateful evening in Abu Dhabi.
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Those who know Masi well make it clear that he did not make the decision to take him out very well.
At the moment he still works for the FIA and fills some of the secondary roles he had, but the big prize he worked so hard for is gone.
There were even rumors in the paddock that Masi might be considering a lawsuit over his dismissal from his previous position.
If this turns out to be the case, then it might seem that the report can only help his case.