Former F1 driver John Watson believes Michael Masi’s position as race director has been compromised too much to continue in that role.
John Watson, who now acts as a TV F1 expert, sees Michael Masi’s position as FIA race director probably becoming quite shaky, but has expressed sympathy for the Australian over the situation in Abu Dhabi.
The governing body of F1, the FIA, carry out a full investigation in connection with the events of the tournament, as a result of which Max Verstappen was able to easily seize the championship title from Lewis Hamilton in the final lap. The results of the study have not yet been made public.
There would have been another option
“Personally, I would say it’s hard,” Watson said RacingNews365.comto the question of whether the position of the competition director can be maintained.
“Masi didn’t take a stand and didn’t favor one competitor or team over another, but here’s the consequence of what he did and his desire to end the race under a green flag.”
“I understand it would have been a terrible end to the tournament if it had ended under Safety Car. But there were other potential options, one of which, if I knew right, would have been to get a red flag right away, everyone could have gotten into the box, got fresh rubber, and had to restart the race. ”
“It would have meant a level playing field, at least for everyone, but as things turned out, it created an unequal playing field for Lewis and much more favorable conditions for Red Bull and Max.”
“Ultimately, I think there were a number of issues during the season. Some of these have been exacerbated by the incessant communication between the boxing wall and the race director. ”
The race director got into a very difficult situation
Watson went on to explain that he feels Masi has lost support for the teams as a result of the way the 2021 decisions were handled.
“I’m just wondering what kind of support he’s getting among the teams preparing for the new season – can they count on his judgment?” Watson asked.
“Perfect? Or will it be questionable? Will you be questioned on the air every time you make a verdict? ‘Good choice?’, obsession ‘Here are the reasons why you made the wrong decision’ “It’s the wrong way!”
“It’s like in a football match, the two leaders of each team have a constant dialogue with the referee during the match.”
“On the one hand, this is pointless, and on the other hand, it simply mocks the authority of the people who have been chosen to judge in 90 minutes of a football match or 90 minutes of a grand prize.” He added.
Is this a consequence of Netflix Drive to Suvive?
Watson believes that the active public broadcasting of radio messages and the ongoing effort to make the sport more entertaining have had consequences for the governance of the sport.
“There are channels for the challenges, but not as part of what I think is a consequence of the access provided by Netflix and Drive to Survive, where we now see this type of action for the stars as well.”
“These are the people, i.e. the FIA and their officials, some of them a ‘show’-they have become part of. They are not there to be this; they are there to judge. They are not there to be known or to show themselves or anything else. ”
“They are people who should be behind the scenes and should not be recognized at any time. That’s not their business, and that’s not why they’re in this position. “
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