... [+].on Thursday that race director Michael Masi has been removed and offered a new position within the governing body.
Masi has been under fire ever since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – the last and deciding race of the season – after his decision to first not allow lapped cars between race leader Lewis Hamilton and second-place driver Max Verstappen to pass the safety car on a last-lap sprint to the finish, only to double back on the decision. In doing so, Verstappen was placed directly behind Hamilton on restart.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said Masi “accomplished a very challenging job for three years as F1 race director following Charlie Whiting”. The FIA will now provide two race directors that will alternate at the race director position. Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, who have recently worked in the World Endurance Championship and DTM, will take on the position.
Many believe that Masi was swayed by direct communications from the team principals, most notably Christian Horner of Red Bull, as part of the Abu Dhabi race. The matter of direct communication will no longer take place.“Alike the Video Assistance Referee in football, it will be positioned in one of the FIA Offices as a backup outside the circuit.
Translated to F1 fan: MasiOUT FTW RIP GG 1v1