Marko: 'The FIA is hopelessly overburdened with its small group of people'

F1 News

14 February 2022 at 19:28
Last update 14 February 2022 at 19:31
  • GPblog.com

The FIA met on Monday to discuss, among other things, the end of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko believes that the race director will be able to start doing his or her job more quietly from next season.

The outcome of the FIA meeting is not yet known, although FIA President Mohammend Ben Sulayem did indicate that 'structural changes' will be made. In addition, it seems that Michael Masi may have to give up his spot as race director and be given a role in the safety department. All this has been due to the questionable decisions at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The decisions Masi made allowed Max Verstappen to overtake Lewis Hamilton on the last lap and capture the world title.

Marko waits for answers

Marko let it be known in conversation with the Kleine Zeitung Press that he is curious about the outcome of the FIA's meeting. The Austrian wants to know whether Masi is actually deemed of making errors or not. In addition, Marko hopes that the rules will be clearer in the future and that the race director will get more rest: "I think they will try to relieve the race director more."

F1 journalist Craig Slater reported earlier on Monday that the FIA may be considering two race directors starting in 2022. Marko also seems to be a fan of that idea, saying the big teams have a lot of people at home to analyse everything, while the FIA has a lot fewer. "The FIA is hopelessly overburdened with its small group of people."