FIA admits Masi’s job as F1 race director could be under threat

Masi’s position has been in question since the controversial ending of the Abu Dhabi GP, when the drivers between leader Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were waved past the safety car deployed after Nicholas Latifi's crash.

This ultimately helped decide the outcome of the 2021 world championship, as Verstappen used his fresher tyres to overtake Hamilton on the last lap.

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An investigation into the events in Abu Dhabi, as well as an analysis of how to improve FIA procedures, is still ongoing.

Among the options under discussion are reducing the workload on the race director – which built up when the late Charlie Whiting took on multiple roles – and having more than one race director, and rotating them during the season.

Plans are also in hand to provide extra remote help to the decision makers in race control, in a similar fashion to the way teams make use of engineering and strategy support from mission control facilities at their factories.

Bayer has been the FIA’s secretary general for sport since 2017.

In December he took on an extra role as executive director of the single-seater department – a change agreed before the controversial Abu Dhabi race – and thus he is closely involved in the fallout of the season finale.

“He has done a super job,” Bayer told journalist Gerhard Kuntschik when asked about Masi.

“We have told him that, but also that there is a possibility that there will be a new race director. I can only make suggestions to the World Council, and they will definitely include him.”

Bayer also gave an insight into how Masi, who did not speak to the media after the Abu Dhabi race, has dealt with the criticism that he’s faced.

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