(Motorsport) Formula 1’s governing body FIA is making plans for a new race management structure to avoid a repeat of the events that took place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. To refresh your memory of the events that took place at the Yas Marina Circuit, race director Michael Masi over-rode the rules regarding the operation of the safety car. The motivation behind this decision, as explained after the race ended, was to ensure that the final race of the 2021 season did not end under caution as it was previously agreed by the teams that in the event there is a late safety car, the preferred option would be to end the race in racing conditions. 

However, the controversial moment was when Masi didn’t apply the rules correctly on two separate occasions, the first being the dealing with the lapped cars and the second was the timing of the restart. The result was that Lewis Hamilton lost out on the World Championship after Max Verstappen overtook the British racing driver in the last lap after having fresh, soft compound tyres. Since the event, the FIA have admitted that it has “tarnished the image” of Formula 1 and that the credibility of the sport has been questioned. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton is said to have lost trust in the FIA and will decide his future in the sport only after getting clarity of what the FIA intends to do to address his concerns over race management.

It’s expected that the FIA intends to introduce a series of safeguards to ensure that the race director is free to make decisions in a calmer environment as it’s widely accepted that during the events of the Abu Dhabi GP, Masi was left exposed, isolated and under tremendous pressure in the final few laps of the race. It’s also expected that teams will not be able to communicate with the race director going forward to avoid undue pressure and influence of decisions which was the case from both Red Bull and Mercedes during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Revisions to the operation of stewards, who are independent of the race director and decide penalties/ rule breaches, are also being considered. 

With new FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem at the helm, some teams have recommended the removal of Michael Masi as race director. The desire to see a new race director is not purely due to Masi’s decisions/errors in Abu Dhabi but because it was the biggest blunder amongst a series of errors that took place during the 2021 season. Both Red Bull and Ferrari have denied making a request for Masi’s removal while Williams has claimed it “does not believe it is for teams to decide FIA personnel". However, Mercedes, Alpine, Aston Martin, Haas and Alfa Romeo have not yet publicly chosen sides. 

In a letter to FIA’s member clubs after his election, Mohammed Ben Sulayem said he "will take all the 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. I will do so in complete independence, refusing any pressure from any quarter, in the sole interest of our sport."

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