RACING FANS who wanted retribution for Lewis Hamilton's controversial loss of an eighth Formula One world title will be glad to know that Michael Masi, the race director who had a huge part in the incident has been sacked for his part in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The title was won by Max Verstappen thanks to a safety car issue that saw five cars unlap themselves.
Verstappen would not have caught Hamilton in the Mercedes without and was given a massive boost at the Yas Marina circuit in December to win
FIA, F1's governing body, confirmed Masi's removal from the post and have said that Eduardo Frietas and Niels Wittich will take over from the Australian. The pair will be supervised by Herbie Blash as a new permanent senior advisor.
Masi removed as race director. Role to be shared by Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich assisted by Herbie Blash, formerly Charlie Whiting's deputy. As expected, no direct communication with race director for teams, and a virtual race control acting as a kind of F1 VAR https://t.co/6ZLyMIfQuq
— Andrew Benson (@andrewbensonf1) February 17, 2022
There had been huge pressure from Mercedes to overturn the decision, but the eventually accepted the outcome of the race
While Masi will no longer be race director, he will be offered a new role within the FIA.
A statement from Ben Sulayem read:
'Drawing conclusions from the detailed analysis of the events of the last F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and from the 2021 season, I proposed an in-depth reform of the organization of refereeing and race direction. It was unanimously supported by F1 CEO and team principals.
'Here is my plan for these structural changes:
'Firstly, to assist the race director in the decision-making process, a Virtual Race Control Room will be created. Alike the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in football, it will be positioned in one of the FIA Offices as a backup outside the circuit. In real-time connection with the FIA F1 race director, it will help to apply the sporting regulations using the most modern technological tools.
Secondly, direct radio communications during the race, currently broadcast live by all TVs, will be removed in order to protect the race director from any pressure and allow him to take decisions peacefully. It will still be possible to ask questions to the race director, according to a well-defined and non-intrusive process.
'Thirdly, unlapping procedures behind safety cars will be reassessed by the F1 Sporting Advisory Committee and presented to the next F1 Commission prior to the start of the season.
'And finally, I would like to inform you that a new race management team will be put in place starting in Barcelona for the test session.
'Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas will act alternatively as Race Director, assisted by Herbie Blash as permanent senior advisor.
The move comes a day before the launch of Mercedes' new car and the return of Hamilton.
Both driver and team were said to be "disillusioned" with F1 following the finale.
Hamilton has two years remaining on his Mercedes contract and had previously voiced his excitement about the sport's 2022 rules and cars.
See More: F1, Lewis Hamilton, Micheal Masi
