FIA removes F1 race director and adopts VAR after controversy in 2021

The FIA ​​(Federation Internationale de Automobilismo) announced on Thursday (17) a series of changes in F1 for the 2022 season, including the removal of race director Michael Masi, in addition to the adoption of a management system for the races that is similar to the VAR (video referee) used in football.

Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, who recently worked in the World Endurance Championship and the DTM (touring car category), respectively, will replace Masi and jointly assume the role.

In an official statement, the new FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, confirmed that the measures stem from the investigation into the controversies that took place at the Abu Dhabi GP, the last one of last season, which defined the title in favor of Max Verstappen, from the Red Bull.

“Drawing in conclusions from the detailed analysis of the events of the last Abu Dhabi GP and the 2021 season, I proposed a profound reform of the organization of the race direction,” said Sulayem.

At the time, the race director chose not to comply with the procedures set out in the regulations shortly after an accident that required the entry of the safety car.

The category code dictates that all latecomers must realign around the leaders with the safety car, and the safety car must return to the pits only at the end of the lap following the realignment. If Masi had followed the rule, the race would have ended on lap 58 and ended under a yellow flag, with Lewis Hamilton first. The position would earn him his eighth title.

To avoid similar situations from next season, the FIA ​​president said that F1 will have a virtual room to control the races.

“Like the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in football, he will be positioned in one of the FIA ​​offices as an off-circuit reserve. In a real-time connection with the FIA ​​F1 Race Director, he will help enforce sporting regulations using the most modern technological tools”, he said.

The representative also commented that Michael Masi “has carried out a very challenging job for three years as F1 race director”. The Australian has not been sacked and will be reassigned to another position within the governing body of motorsport.

The director’s conduct at the end of last season, however, caused revolt at Mercedes, which formalized a protest minutes after the race, but the arguments were rejected. The team even announced that it would appeal the decision before giving up on going forward.

Hamilton, on the other hand, adopted a reclusive stance, without giving any statement about what happened, which fueled speculation around a possible retirement of the seven-time champion, something that has not been confirmed – he and new teammate and compatriot, George Russell, will be at the presentation. of the new Mercedes car this Friday (18).

Also according to Mohammed Ben Sulayem, communication between the teams and the race director at the GPs will be limited from now on. According to the new protocol, team bosses will only be able to ask non-intrusive questions during races, without being able to question the decisions made by the race direction.

The 2022 F1 season starts on March 20th with the Bahrain GP.