The FiA has finally shed the creator of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix fiasco – former Formula One race director, Michael Masi – after Masi’s multitude of errors deprived seven-time Formula 1 world champion of clinching a record eighth world title, and, in true FiA lightning-quick fashion, it only took them seven months to do so.
Masi’s departure from the FiA comes after the FiA’s inquiry found Masi’s so-called “human error” was responsible for the incorrect application of the rules – a mere two months after the race had occurred – in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix fiasco.
Masi’s stunning failure to follow regulations during a late safety-car period at Yas Marina resulted in Mercedes’ Hamilton – who was easily on course to win a record eighth world title – to be overtaken by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen when the race was mistakenly [according to the regulations] restarted for one final lap.
Masi was eventually removed as race director – but not until February, 2022 – despite having made a whopping multitude of errors which included the two biggest of the group – “calling the safety car back into the pit lane without it having completed an additional lap as required by the Formula 1 sporting regulations” and “deciding to allow only “some” cars to un-lap themselves – the ones between Hamilton and Verstappen – but not the ones between other cars in the field, including Verstappen and third-placed Carlos Sainz, Jr.’s Ferrari.”
Since then, a number of changes have been put in place following the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix fiasco race to try to avoid making similar mistakes in the future, but the biggest change – voiding Verstappen’s ill-gotten victory and correctly awarding the race victory and world title, to Hamilton – was not made, despite F1 handing out post-race penalties regularly in other substantially, more minor racing incidents.