FIA report: 'Human error' to blame for Formula 1's Abu Dhabi controversy but result remain 'valid'

The FIA have concluded that the controversy over the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 season finale in 2021 was down to ‘human error’ but that the results are ‘valid’. Race director Michael Masi recently left his role following the investigation, which allowed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen the chance to attack Lewis Hamilton with a lap remaining.

Ad/> The FIA noted that Masi had not taken heed of the regulations regarding the late presence of the safety car, saying he had, «called the safety car back into the pit lane without it having completed an additional lap as required by the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations (Article 48.12).» Bahrain Grand PrixVerstappen fastest at Free Practice 3 but Mercedes much improved in BahrainAN HOUR AGO «The process of identifying lapped cars has up until now been a manual one and human error lead to the fact that not all cars were allowed to un-lap themselves,» the FIA added. That allowed him to win the Grand Prix and secure enough points to win his first world championship, and denied Hamilton the chance to win a record-breaking eighth.

It appeared following the race conclusion that Masi had incorrectly interpreted the regulations regarding a safety car restart, and there were accusations from fans that the decision had been taken to artificially create a more dramatic ending to the season. Verstappen fastest at Free Practice 3 but Mercedes much improved in Bahrain Hamilton writes off Mercedes at Bahrain, Wolff praises Red Bull cars F1 CEO Domenical will talk to drivers snubbing Netflix series Drive to Survive However the report, released on Saturday, said that Masi had acted in ‘good faith’ when making his decisions.