Former F1 race director Michael Masi leaves FIA to relocate to Australia and ‘take on new challenges’

The Australian was removed as F1 race director following his controversial handling of last year’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Michael Masi was removed as race director following his handling of last year’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (David Davies/PA) (PA Wire)

Former F1 race director Micahel Masi has left the FIA and has relocated to Australia to “take on new challenges”, world motorsport’s governing body announced on Tuesday.

Masi was the man in charge at F1 races for three years but was sacked after his controversial handling of last year’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when Max Verstappen claimed victory on the last lap in his battle with Lewis Hamilton.

The Australian was dismissed from his role in February ahead of the 2022 season - with Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas replacing him as joint race directors - and having been in limbo within the FIA since, he has decided to step away from the organisation having returned to his homeland in Australia in April.

An FIA statement on Tuesday read: “The FIA confirms that Michael Masi has decided to leave the FIA and relocate to Australia to be closer to his family and take on new challenges.

“He oversaw a three-year period as FIA Formula 1 Race Director and Safety Delegate following the sudden passing of Charlie Whiting in 2019, carrying out the numerous functions he was tasked with in a professional and dedicated manner. The FIA thanks him for his commitment and wishes him the best for the future.”

Masi was thrust into the limelight towards the end of last season, as he became embroiled in a battle between Mercedes and Red Bull as Hamilton and Verstappen fought for the Drivers Championship.

It all came to a controversial conclusion in Abu Dhabi, with a late crash from Nicholas Latifi bringing out the safety car within a winner-takes-all race between Hamilton and Verstappen. With Verstappen pitting in second place, his position behind Hamilton was obstructed by five lapped cars.

Max Verstappen claimed victory on the last lap in his battle with Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi last year (Getty Images)

While Masi originally stated that those lapped cars would not be allowed to overtake the safety car, Masi then reversed his decision and announced the safety car would return to the pits ahead of the final lap and after some bartering from Christian Horner and Jonathan Wheatley at Red Bull.

With no cars between the two title protagonists, Verstappen was right back behind Hamilton, on fresher soft tyres and the Dutchman overtook the Brit in dramatic circumstances to win his first World Championship amid uproar at Mercedes.

A report was published ahead of this year’s season-opening Grand Prix in Bahrain in March which detailed that Masi came under “immense pressure” from “distracting” radio exchanges from the two teams, before the “human error” of allowing those five cars the ability to unlap themselves, as opposed to more lapped cars behind Verstappen too.