FIA: Public hostility ‘really hit’ Masi hard

Having acknowledged that F1 could have a new race director this year, FIA Secretary General Peter Bayer says public “hostility” towards Michael Masi hit the Australian hard.

Masi was handed the job of FIA race director following the passing of Charlie Whiting days before the start of the 2019 Formula 1 season.

The Australian went relatively unnoticed in his first two years in the job, but there were times in 2021 when he created more headlines than the drivers – the most notable of those being the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Masi’s unprecedented call to allow only the drivers between the championship contenders to unlap themselves was heavily criticised with the FIA launching at investigation into that decision.

An investigation that Bayer has admitted could result in the “possibility” of there being a new race director come this year’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

But while the FIA have been quick to insist that no decision has been made yet, Bayer feels Masi had been hard hit by last year’s criticism.

According to Motorsport-Total.com, he told De Presse: “As a police officer, you rarely get any sympathy. What has become unbearable are the reactions on social media, which stop at nothing, as you saw with the death threats against Williams driver Latifi.

“Michael doesn’t have an account, but the hostility in other channels really hit him.

“In our conversations, I assured him of the support of the association and let him know: We want to continue working with you, but I also need your understanding that we do that subject to investigate.”

It wasn’t just social media where Masi had to deal with pressure, that also came during grands prix from the team bosses.

With the FOM broadcasting the messages between the teams