Sacked Formula 1 race director Michael Masi ‘signed nondisclosure agreements with the FIA’ so he can NOT talk about controversial decision he made in Abu Dhabi final last season
Michael Masi ‘signed nondisclosure agreement’ over Abu Dhabi race
The calls from former F1 race director saw Max Verstappen claim first world title
Australian received death threats and struggled to recover from incident last year
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Former F1 race director Michael Masi has reportedly signed a nondisclosure agreement with the FIA to never talk about the controversial end of last season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The agreement has made fans very suspicious, raising question marks around the race that Masi oversaw as race director. It was his decisions that led to Max Verstappen claiming his first world title under a black cloud thanks to his phone calls.
Heading into the final laps of last December’s final race, Masi made the decision to let the five cars separating race leader Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen unfold behind a safety car.
Michael Masi has signed an NDA so he can’t talk about what happened at the Abu Dhabi race
It created a deadlock on the last lap between the two rivals that Verstappen, who had much fresher tires, won to secure the championship. We leave rivals Mercedes and Red Bull to clashes and distracting radio messages to the Australian race director.
Masi’s ‘human error’ of allowing only those five cars to unroll themselves has now been changed to the current season’s regulations.
Australia’s Daily Telegram have now reported on the NDA as part of a new interview with Masi, who was fired from his position at the start of the 2022 season.
Thanks to Masi’s decisions, Max Verstappen claimed his first F1 World Championship in 2021
In the interview, the 44-year-old admits that it took him a while to get over the ‘Decider in the Desert’, but that the incident has made him stronger.
“It took me a while to process it all,” Masi said.
“But at the end of the day I thought it was best for me to come back home and be close to my support network.
“I didn’t talk to a professional. In hindsight, I probably should have. I should have talked to someone in a professional sense. But in saying that, I had some great people around me who could see it and check in daily. I was lucky to have that support network.’
Masi initially stayed with the FIA before leaving the governing body to return to Australia
Masi cannot talk about the decision he made in Abu Dhabi due to nondisclosure agreements with the FIA, but he can talk about the future.
“The whole experience has made me a much stronger person,” Masi said. “I’ve just had the longest break in my professional career and I’ve used the time to reconnect with family and friends. I’ve also done all that self-maintenance you can neglect when you’re in a rut.
“I have some exciting options for the future. I am considering a number of different projects, both nationally and globally.
My intention is to base myself out of Australia and use all the skills I have gained in what has been an incredible journey thus far and one that I am extremely proud and grateful for.”
It was Masi’s decision making at last season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with him being sacked after ‘human error’ set up a final lap shootout between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton
The signing of the NDA only reinforces fans’ suspicions about the incidents in Dubai that led to Verstappen’s victory.
The controversy came after Nicholas Latifi’s crash with only a few laps to go. It saw complaints from Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team about the merits of the Dutchman’s win.
They initially accused Verstappen of short overtaking under safety car conditions, which was rejected, but had a bigger complaint when Masi changed the safety car restart procedure at the end of the race.
That decision gave the championship to Red Bull driver and prevented Hamilton from a record eighth world crown.
Australian Masi later received death threats and a torrent of abuse via social media over the phone calls he made in the Abu Dhabi final.