Race director Masi heads towards exit: Is this his successor?
F1 News
- GPblog.com
The new FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has only been in charge of the international motorsport federation for a few weeks, but he is already launching a thorough investigation into the events of the last round of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Unstoppable
Much of the Formula One world is assuming that the much-criticised race director Michael Masi will step down. His position has become untenable after the Mercedes team openly ended its trust in the Australian. Reportedly, Lewis Hamilton's future in the sport even depends on whether there is a satisfactory conclusion to the FIA's investigation.
In two months the new Formula 1 season will start and of course a successor to Masi must be found. The pool of experienced, suitable people is extremely thin. According to the BBC, there are two obvious candidates who could soon be in charge. The most obvious candidate is Scott Elkins, who fulfills the same role in the FIA's Formula E championship and the German DTM.
Two options
Elkins could have been the race director in Formula 1 already. Previously, he was one of two potential replacements for Charlie Whiting. When Whiting trgically died on the evening of the season opener in Australia, it happened to be Masi's turn to fill in. Since then, Masi has remained at the helm. But there is talk that Elkins is unsure if he wants the pressure of the job.
A second option is Steve Nielsen, former sporting director of Renault and Williams. Since 2017 he has been sporting director of Formula 1. In the paddock, Nielsen is widely respected and it is assumed that he would be able to handle the pressure just fine. At the same time, there is no reason for him to quit his current job.