Red Bull: "More than capable" Michael Masi can be successful F1 race director

Red Bull’s sporting director Jonathan Wheatley believes Michael Masi is “more than capable” of emulating Charlie Whiting’s success in the role of Formula 1’s race director with the right support. 
m Man
m Man
© xpbimages.com

Masi’s handling of the controversial ending to last year’s title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has seen t🌃he Australian come under intense scrutiny amid an ongoing FIA review into the events of the 2021 season finale. 

The FIA’s head of single-seaters Peter Bayer recently admitted publicly for the first time that Masi could be replaced for 2022, though F1’s governing body insisted that168澳洲5最新开奖结果: “no decision has been taken” in a follow-up statement. 

Speaking in an interview on , Wheatley threw his backing behind Ma🌠si and suggested he needs greater support in order to flourish in the challenging roleℱ. 

“Charlie was your ultimate poacher-turned-gamekeeper,” Wheatley said when asked about Masi’s predecessor, Whiting, who died suddenly three days before the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.🌳 

“Charlie had the respect, he was consistent in his decision-making, consistent in the way he dealt with people across the board. He knew when to tell you to shut up and when y💝ou needed an arm around you.

“He🌊 was an extraordinary man in that respect and I think the FIA were slow to realise just what a big pair of shoes that would be to fill and I think Michael, with the right support, is more than capable of doing that.

“On a personal level he is entirely a really, really nice guy with no edge to him at💧 all. And he listens🍬 and tries to do the very best that he can.”

Michael Masi (AUS) FIA Race Director.
Michael Masi (AUS) FIA Race Director.
© xpbimages.com

F1’s decision to broadcast conversations between the FIA and the teams for the 2021 season inadvertently led to concerns of lobbying as 🎃team principals took it upon themselves to directly contact Masi amid the intensity of the title fight.

It is understood F1 plans to stop team bosses from communicat꧃ing with the race director from 2022. 

Wheatley conced💖ed the de🦄cision to broadcasting the messages in the first place was a “mistake”. 

“We have suppo🎀rted Michael, teams have sup🐲ported Michael and Michael’s helped us,” he explained. 

“We’ve worked together in a col𝓰laborative fashion and that’s worked out really well. And the trouble is, that collaborative fashion dies a death when it’s broadcast.

“There were situations where I think I got a bit frustrated and said things I shouldn’t have said. It’s a nerdy level of under✃standing the sporting regulations that I didn’t think anyone would benefit from. 

“I did think at some🅠 point that the team principles were going to then take over that channel, because the pressure is too important not to, these decisions are too important, so of course it does.

“The othe꧅r thing is, yo🐈u might have been able to say, ‘well I’m not sure, that’s not the regulation we should be following, or perhaps should we not be doing it this way’. 

“And of course we can’t👍 have thos♈e conversations with the race director if you know they’re going to be broadcast.”

Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W12 leads Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB16B on the final lap of the race.
Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W12 leads Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB16B on…
© xpbimages.com

Wheatley underlined the importance of F1 working together with the FIA to ensure the investigation leads to more consistent rul♓ing.

“We talk about the consistency of the stewards’ decisions, consistency across the board, likeඣ people who watch football would like to see from referees, and it’s no🐻t always the case,” he added. 

“Of course, we’d all love it to be very, very clear. We’ve had this great, over𝔍arching philosophy of ‘let them race’, but let them race is [just] a philosophy. 

“You’ve then got the bl💟ack and white of the regulations, which is often very prescribed in terms of what penalty [to apply]. There’s no wriggle ro🙈om in it at all.

“I think these are the areas of the sport that needs to come from the very top; it needs to come from the World ౠMotor Sport Council, who need to s🎃ay, ‘Here are the principles by which we’re going racing’.

“Then it’s up to 🔜the FIA and the teams to work together to ensure a consistent 🍬set of sporting regulations.”

Read More