It could just be MBS--->" Drop the appeal(Mercedes) and the FIA gets rid of Masi." .....kinda like a "quid pro quo."
Not saying they don't operate like that, but I'm thinking there is far more pressure from the legions of complaining fans who want Masi's head. F1 found a way to improve global relevance during a pandemic and somehow mucked that stage all up. If Masi goes down, I believe it's an effort to head off some of the controversy before the new season begins.
2021 has been riddled with a few scandals, technical, and operational, that didn't do it any favour. If F1 starts to loose credibility for the way it's run, the manufacturers, sponsors, and TV channels will think twice before investing more in it. There is enough competition with other sports for them to decide where to put their money.
I wouldn't go as far as saying sacrificial lamb, Lewis knows what's going on...but him keeping quiet is exactly that the media hungry fools love.
I was speaking of Masi though. He’s the one the FIA will leave exposed to calm the tide of public unrest.
No Because it would weaken the legitimacy of what happened in Abu Dhabi. It would be disastrous from a sports point of view.
He should be fired because he demonstrated his incompetence since he started. Not because suddenly it didn't suit Mercedes on 1 lap of 1 race in 1 season.
Weaken the legitimacy? It was absolutely a complete farce, and should have NEVER happened the way Masi manipulated the ending for Liberty Media. It would be disastrous if Masi was NOT fired for complete incompetence!
Because of the tight battle between the two teams all year long, it’s a very difficult job to do. Pressure is immense. I don’t blame him at all.
I don't think what he did was that big of a deal anyways. Damned if he did, damned if he didn't. Lewis supporters have said they wouldn't have had a problem with it if all cars where allowed to pass. Since in reality it didn't matter if those last couple of cars passed or didn't to the end result, we can conclude that it would've happened anyways.
I guess if it had been Leclerc and Ferrari that had been deprived of a win and championship at Abu Dhabit, we would hear a different tune from some people. Beside that massive flop, the most infamous decision for me was to call 2 laps behind a safety car at Spa a "race", and attribute points for it. That really took the biscuit !!! I hope we will never see Masi near a race track !! The man is completely incompetent.
Indeed if it had been Leclerc and Ferrari I would have a completely different opinion because I am totally subjective when it comes to Ferrari. What is the name of this forum please ?
I am glad to be completely objective in my appreciation of F1. I don't care who wins, as long as it's a fair contest.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/fia-announces-next-steps-and-plans-for-abu-dhabi-f1-investigation/7246842/ FIA announces next steps and plans for Abu Dhabi F1 investigation The FIA has announced the next steps and plans for its investigation into the controversial Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi last month. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Luke Smith Jan 13, 2022, 11:19 AM The FIA confirmed in the days following Max Verstappen’s last-lap title win over Lewis Hamilton that it would be launching a full investigation into the race restart, which was subject to protests by Mercedes. FIA statement in full “Following the decision to the World Motor Sport Council in Paris on 15 December 2021, the FIA administration, under the leadership of Mohammed Ben Sulayem, has started the detailed analysis of the events of the last Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix,” the FIA statement reads. “The FIA president launch a consultation with all F1 teams on various issues, including this one. “On January 19, an item on the agenda of the Sporting Advisory Committee will be dedicated to the use of the Safety Car. “The following stage will be a shared discussion with all F1 drivers. "The outcome of the detailed analysis will be presented to the F1 Commission in February and final decisions will be announced at the World Motor Sport Council in Bahrain on 18 March. “FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has asked Secretary General Sport and recently-appointed Single-Seater Director Peter Bayer for proposals to review and optimise the organisation of the FIA F1 structure for the 2022 season.”
Seems to me ... and i'm really just spit-balling here ... that if the FIA actually changes the wording of the rules regarding the safety car, and the Race Director's authority over it ... this would be tantamount to an admission by the FIA that Masi was, in fact, acting well within his power and authority, according to the rules in-place as of December 2021 (as the stewards have, of course, already decided).
The rules allow you to break the rules. That's why FIA is looking into it. If Masi's actions were clean, faultless and honorable as you say they were, FIA would'nt be discussing it now.
