Sacked F1 race director Michael Masi set to be handed new role by FIA despite controversial end to 2021 season
FIA are negotiating a new role for sacked race director Michael Masi because he remains an “important figure”.
Masi was fired after his controversial handling of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as he was deemed to have failed to follow strict safety car rules.
The Australian made the decision to allow the five cars separating race leader Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to unlap themselves behind a safety car heading towards the final laps.
That allowed Verstappen to overtake Hamilton on much fresher tyres and won his maiden Formula One title.
Masi was dismissed soon after but FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem wants to him to stay.
Ben Sulayem said: “[We wanted] to take the pressure and the stress from him, because he really went through a lot.
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“We are grateful for the three years that he invested with us, and he put his time [in].
“But now we are negotiating with him of course to stay in the FIA.
“He is [an] important figure to us so our people are negotiating other, I would not say a job, but another place for him within the FIA.”
Mercedes star Hamilton wants to leave all that behind and focus on winning an eighth world title this season.
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The British legend said: “We cannot go back, unfortunately, and change the past so I just look at what I can do now.
“I wasn’t expecting an apology and it’s not something I’ve focused on. We know that’s the way it is and that was probably not going to happen.
“But at least there is that transparency, and it’s been called a human error and that’s a positive step.”