Mercedes not alone: 'Other teams also briefed against Masi'

F1 News

13 January 2022 at 15:38
Last update 13 January 2022 at 18:58
  • GPblog.com

Michael Masi has been getting a lot of criticism since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. His decisions during the all-important 2021 race are causing much controversy. Sky Sports reporter Craig Slater questions Masi's ability to maintain his position.

The race director's decision to restart the race behind the safety car did not go down well with everyone. Because Max Verstappen was on softer tires, he managed to overtake Lewis Hamilton for the world championship victory.

The FIA is investigating the events in Abu Dhabi. According to Slater, Hamilton is waiting for the results to determine if he will stay in the sport. The Sky Sports reporter stresses that Masi is a friendly man, but that the race director was under pressure on several occasions last season.

Mercedes are not the only one

"I can reveal that teams other than Mercedes briefed against him over the course of the 2021 season, and were critical of him", he reports to Sky Sports News. "Is it the case now that his position is untenable?"

Slater wonders if there is too much noise and controversy surrounding his position to keep him as race director. "This is a headache for F1. They do not want to be talking about the controversies of Abu Dhabi." Instead, Slater says the sport wants to focus on the news around 2022 with the introduction of the new regulations, hopefully involving at least three or four teams in the title fight.