Verstappen reached out to Masi after FIA decision: "He appreciated that"

5 March 2022 at 18:34

Last update 6 March 2022 at 09:38

GPblog.com

The controversy that arose after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked the beginning of the end for race director Michael Masi. Max Verstappen calls Masi's dismissal unfair and believes the FIA was pressured into making that decision.

Especially from the Mercedes camp and the British media there was fierce criticism of the race director. This criticism continued throughout the winter, until the FIA announced that Masi had been dismissed from his position.

Verstappen thinks it's unfair how that decision came about. "The FIA was pressured into making that decision," he tells in conversation with Dutch newspaper The Telegraph. The Dutchman saw that Masi tried to give racing the highest priority, but also believes that he could have used some help.

Verstappen contacted Masi

In addition, he feels that the FIA could have done well to show some loyalty towards the race director. "Now they just dropped him. I sent him a message and he appreciated that," continued the world champion.

The FIA has opted to rotate the role of race director between Masi's replacements, but Verstappen is far from convinced that this will solve the problems. According to the Red Bull Racing driver, it will likely lead to more differences in the assessment of incidents.