Editor's Desk: Masi-Red Bull video is not news, why the fuss?
F1 NewsThursday, 10 February 2022 at 15:00
In another twist to the ongoing - boring by now to be honest - 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix saga, new audio was released on social media insinuating that Michael Masi was taking direct orders from Red Bull on the night.
The Formula 1 world is just refusing to get over what happened at the 2021 season finale at Yas Marina, which is not a straightforward decision by the way.
But just when you feel that things might just get back to normal, with Lewis Hamilton resurfacing, 2022 F1 cars being launched, the FIA announcing that their investigation results will be announced on March 18, a video on social media - featured below - emerges and stirs the pot yet again, without even providing a shred of new evidence or information about what happened that night.
The video posted on Twitter, shows part of the communication between F1 Race Director Michael Masi and Red Bull Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley during the safety car period in Abu Dhabi.
Wheatley is heard saying: "Those lapped cars; you don't need to let them go right the way around and catch up with the back of the pack. You only need to let them go, and then we've got a motor race on our hands."
Masi replied: "Understood."
Masi replied: "Understood."
Which triggered a frenzy on social media, accusing Masi of taking direct orders from Red Bull on how to manage the safety car period, which is honestly beyond me.
Both Mercedes and Red Bull were guilty of bullying Masi on the night
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen deserved to cap their respective incredible seasons in a better manner, but the fact remains that Verstappen is a 2021 F1 World Champion, a deserving one as well, the same applying to Hamilton had things been the other way around.
The video is clearly part of a longer conversation to keep the matter ticking over, and it would be a surprise if Wheatley was saying something else, but was Masi in compliance to Red Bull's Sporting Director's wishes? I doubt it.
Toto Wolff told Masi after the race: "You need to reinstate the lap before, that's not right."
Is that an instruction? Somehow what Wheatley did as well? I am sure Mercedes had access to this footage and had there been any way to use it, they wouldn't have spared any effort to do so.
Both teams did more than enough to flip Masi's decision in their favour, and the fact remains that Masi fumbled under pressure, with nothing we can say changing that fact, so why not wait until we see the FIA's decision on this, give them the benefit of the doubt, and then once the outcome of the investigation is out, everyone can have their say.
Martin Brundle as usual an impartial voice of reason on the Masi saga
When asked about the video, the former F1 driver, and current pundit told Sky F1: "It's not new news, and also I think you have to understand that it's not necessarily telling Michael Masi something he didn't already know.
"Let's not assume it's giving Masi information he didn't already know in terms of what he could and couldn't do in terms of the lapped pack.
"Of course it's really uncomfortable, and a lot of people are unhappy: (Lewis) Hamilton fans, Mercedes fans," Brundle insisted, which is understandable.
I for one wasn't happy about how things went down in Abu Dhabi, but no one was, especially not the Hamilton side, and Brundle feels that way as well while hinting that it was down to the unwritten agreement not to end the race under the safety car.
He added: "And you don't even have to be a Lewis Hamilton fan to think that forever he should be an eight-time world champion, because, for me, the really crucial regulation that wasn't carried out was that the safety car should have come in at the end of the following lap.
It's not pretty for Formula 1 at all
"But we also know that unwritten rules and meetings, which shouldn't supersede anything, were: let's try not to have a race finish behind the safety car.
"Hugely unacceptable. I met so many fans that were new to Formula 1 last year particularly, and fans in general, that were hugely upset by what happened," Brundle revealed.
"We cannot - and we know it's going to change - have teams getting at the referee while he's trying to make critical decisions with cars on the track and marshals and breakdown vehicles.
"The car was on fire at certain times," he went on. "He's trying to manage that and he's getting lobbied left, right and centre. You can imagine that on the football ground or rugby ground is completely unacceptable. And that will change.
"It's not pretty for Formula 1 at all, but I don't think this audio today changes the really uncomfortable narrative of what happened," was Brundle's final assessment of the matter.
It is uncomfortable, but we really need to be reasonable
It is uncomfortable. That's what it is, but posting irrelevant material, and trying to make it relevant is not the way forward, and won't change the outcome. Reason must prevail, but with the world of social media these days, chance is it never will.
It is so sad to see some people finding solace with Masi being fired. He is an FIA employee who made a huge mistake. Why and how, is up to his employer to identify and evaluate, which they say they are doing, and if the FIA see it fit to fire Masi, so be it.
But what if the FIA find out that the rules and lack of support was the reason behind Masi's error, and decide to give him a second chance? Can you imagine people jumping up and down as a result?
Now, with all that has been said and leaked, it seems that Masi is on his way out, but let the man get a dignified exit because, despite the gravity of the consequences of his actions, he is like any referee in any other sport, where similar situations occurred. He messed up, he got fired. Full stop.
Firing Masi without applying changes is pointless
Furthermore, if the FIA replace Masi with a new Race Director who has to operate in the same work conditions applying the same set of rules, who will benefit? Other than some's oversized egos.
Brundle agrees, he said: "I made a comment that changing Michael Masi won't fix the problem, meaning that it's way too big a job for one person.
"That doesn't mean to say I'm in full support for Michael Masi. I think he'll struggle to keep that position. The trouble is that the spotlight will be on him, and every single decision will be analysed.
"What happens if Lewis is up for a penalty? Will he be lenient on that? I think he's in an untenable situation," Brundle interestingly pointed out.
"You can't unravel the result. Red Bull did nothing wrong, and Ferrari did nothing wrong in third place for example. You can't penalise them.
"The FIA can only penalise themselves for getting it wrong on the day. Michael Masi got it wrong, due to a lot of circumstances," the former F1 driver concluded.
I have always pointed out the shortcomings of Masi that were magnified in last year's crazy season, but in closing, I feel that whoever believes that firing Masi and degrading a man who is already down will bring them satisfaction should re-evaluate their priorities.
It's motor-racing... That's it.
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