Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates has been a popular host for Formula 1 races. However, during last year’s race, organizers decided to take action against Ferrari and Force India due to their complaints about the track surface being dangerous. After this incident F1 is considering changing its management structure from one which has teams managing individual tracks to one that gives governing bodies more power over hosting events
Formula 1 is planning to implement a new race management structure after the Abu Dhabi controversy. The changes will come into effect for the 2019 season.
Verstappen tells sports journalist Dan Roan, “I believe races should be won on the track.”
Formula One is working on a new race management system to prevent the difficulties that plagued last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The fact that race director Michael Masi did not follow the regulations appropriately during a late safety-car period in the title-deciding race has been widely accepted across the sport.
As a consequence, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen passed Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap to win the championship.
The governing body, the FIA, has been soliciting input from the teams on the issue.
The investigation into what happened in Abu Dhabi is still underway, and no definite findings have been made yet.
However, sources tell Sport that the FIA intends to implement a set of protections that will allow the race director to make judgments in a more relaxed situation.
Many sources agree that Masi committed a number of operational blunders in the last laps at Yas Marina that went against the regulations and acknowledged norms, and there are major doubts about his future in the post.
At the same time, it is widely acknowledged that in the last circuits of the race, the Australian was left exposed, alone, and under too much strain.
Insiders believe a support system is being built for the race director.
This is likely to include a barrier between that role and the teams, in order to avoid the direct lobbying that Masi faced in Abu Dhabi from the team bosses of both Mercedes and Red Bull.
Changes to the stewards’ operations, which are independent of the race director and decide on penalties for rule violations, are also being explored.
Will Masi be able to maintain his job?
According to Sport, several of the teams have suggested to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem that Masi be fired and a new race director be appointed.
Some senior insiders believe Masi will be unable to continue in his role for another season, claiming that not only did his performance in Abu Dhabi jeopardize his credibility, but that the errors he made there were merely the biggest and most recent in a series of mistakes he made throughout the 2021 season and before.
According to high-level sources, the most likely scenario for the 2022 season is the installation of a new race director.
However, there is no consensus on the subject. Other teams are thought to be unsure whether Masi should continue or would be OK with it if a more effective support structure was put in place around him.
Masi was not summoned by Red Bull, according to the company. Ferrari said that they were unaware of such a request. Mercedes-Benz, McLaren, Alpine, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, and Haas were all unable to participate. “I do not feel it is for teams to pick FIA staff,” Williams remarked.
Although a number of drivers complained about Masi’s inconsistency of decisions last season, particularly in the context of some of the battles between Hamilton and Verstappen, the drivers’ opinions on him remain unclear.
The FIA declined to comment, but Ben Sulayem said after his election in a letter to FIA member clubs that he “will take all necessary decisions after examining the findings of the detailed analysis on this subject decided unanimously by the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris last 15 December.”
“In the exclusive sake of our sport, I will do so in total freedom, denying any pressure from any source.”
What’s the big deal about this?
The impact from Abu Dhabi is still the most pressing issue for F1 and the FIA.
The sport’s integrity has been brought into question, with the FIA admitting it was “tarnishing the image” of F1.
And Hamilton, who is thought to have lost faith in the FIA, will not decide whether to return to F1 this year until he knows what steps the governing body intends to take to rectify the race management issues that occurred in 2021.
It’s possible that the FIA thought the controversy over Abu Dhabi would go away with time.
“Anyone believing this will fade away has not realized the huge significance of this event,” one powerful senior official told Sport.
Where is the FIA’s investigation?
Ben Sulaymen has met with all of the team’s managers to get their thoughts on what went wrong in Abu Dhabi and what changes could be made to avoid a repeat.
Last week, Peter Bayer, the FIA’s secretary general for racing and executive director of single-seaters, attended a meeting of the teams’ sporting directors, which the FIA claims was part of the investigation into Abu Dhabi.
Insiders claim Masi presided over the meeting, but he recused himself when the discussion moved to the operation of the safety vehicle in Abu Dhabi and the repercussions and ramifications.
At the discussion, it was decided that the race director’s actions should be predictable in the future; Masi’s improvisations and refusal to obey the regulations in Abu Dhabi were what caused the outrage following the race.
Bayer is expected to meet with F1 drivers next to get their thoughts on Abu Dhabi and other issues, though no date has been set.
Following that, on 14 February, the F1 Commission – which includes the teams, the FIA, and F1 – will meet to consider the adjustments proposed by the FIA as a consequence of Abu Dhabi.
What’s all the commotion about?
Masi, under pressure from the bosses of the two title-contending teams, overrode the rules regarding the operation of the safety car, and Hamilton lost out in Abu Dhabi.
Masi’s aim, according to reports, was an apparent desire to avoid the race being stopped due to safety concerns. The teams had already agreed that, in the case of a late safety car, concluding the Grand Prix under racing conditions was the preferred option.
Masi, on the other hand, failed to implement the regulations appropriately in two areas: dealing with lapped vehicles and restart time.
When the race began for only one more lap, Hamilton, who was on pace to win the race and the championship, was left a sitting duck on old tyres, and Verstappen, on new tyres, overtook him to win the race and the championship.
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