Masi replaced as F1 race director

Michael Masi has been replaced as F1 race director following a review into last year's Abu Dhabi GP, the FIA has confirmed.

Masi had been under intense pressure due to his handling of the 2021 finale, namely for the Safety Car decisions that opened the door for Max Verstappen to pass Lewis Hamilton for a controversial race and title win.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem confirmed a number of structural changes as part of a 'step forward for Formula 1 refereeing' on Thursday, one being that Niels Wittich, former DTM race director, and Eduardo Freitas, WEC race director, will act alternatively as F1's race director.

Masi will be offered a new role within the FIA, which Sky Sports understands will be a safety role.

Wittich and Freitas will be assisted by Herbie Blash as the permanent senior advisor, with Blash returning to F1 five seasons after stepping down as deputy race director to the late Charlie Whiting.

The new race management team will be in place from next week's test in Barcelona.

A Virtual Race Control Room will also be created, likened to football's VAR, while direct radio communications between teams and the race director will be removed.

The unlapping procedure behind the Safety Car is also to be reviewed by the F1 Sporting Advisory Committee and presented to the F1 Commission prior to the season getting under way in Bahrain on March 18.

In the final stages of the Abu Dhabi GP on December 12, Masi handled the late Safety Car period in a way not prescribed by the F1 rules - and the decision had a huge impact on the championship.

The Australian, who has been F1 race director since 2019, ordered only the lapped cars between Hamilton and second-placed Verstappen through under the Safety Car, providing the