Two months have passed since the controversial Abu Dhabi race final, which saw Max Verstappen conquer the world title during the last lap against Lewis Hamilton, but the management of the final laps of the Yas Marina Grand Prix continues to be discussed today again.
After days of controversy, the FIA has opened an investigation that will have to lead to a review of the procedures to be adopted in case the safety car enters the track. The International Federation will hear the opinion of drivers and teams before communicating the decisions taken which will be announced shortly before the start of the 2022 Formula 1 championship season.
On the sidelines of the presentation of the McLaren MCL36 last Friday, Daniel Ricciardo returned to the topic of race direction. The Australian took the defense of Michael Masi, who ended up in the eye of the storm after a chaotic management in the last rounds of the 2021 championship.
According to Ricciardo, Masi was subjected to excessive pressure which ended up conditioning his work.
“All sport now has more exposure and this, on the one hand, is something great, but on the other hand it puts pressure on those who don’t want to or aren’t used to handling pressure. It is strange to think of a race director or steward so the center of attention “.
“I think that situation has been very tangled and has highlighted some gaps and put further pressure”.
Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris with the LEGO® Technic ™ McLaren Formula 1 model
Photo by: LEGO®
“I think everyone should take a step back. We are all assigned roles and if that person is there for a reason, then let them do it. “
In recent days, a video of the final stages of the Yas Marina GP has been circulating on the net where the communication between Michael Masi and Red Bull’s sporting director, Jonathan Wheatley, made the news, with the latter putting considerable pressure to the race director for the management of the dubbed cars.
Ricciardo spoke on this matter and was very critical of the pressure that both the Milton Keynes team and Mercedes have exerted on Masi.
“They probably made everything more messed up than it should have been. Less interference was needed and you had to let him do his job and then understand what result would come “.
“If Michael wants to stay then he should stay. I don’t think a single event should influence the entire path ”.
“To have experienced firsthand what happened between Hamilton and Verstappen was incredible. I had seen a similar thing in 2008, between Felipe Massa and Lewis, but at the time I was a spectator in front of the TV and I thought that nothing like this would ever happen again, and instead it happened all over again ”.
“In any case, I believe that those who love Formula 1 will continue to love it and I think that true fans are curious to see what will happen in 2022”.
Lando Norris, who renewed with McLaren until 2025, also returned to the subject, clamoring for linear decisions from the race management.
“The obvious thing we all want is consistency because when something inconsistent happens, like on that weekend, people get annoyed or frustrated. We just want this “.
“We pilots make mistakes and it’s easy for people to notice. The same goes for the race direction. They are human and it is easy to make mistakes. I support Michael and I believe that in the last few seasons he has done some great things ”.
“But now it’s about working on these small details that can have a big impact. Formula 1 must remain a high profile category. That race finale is something that is still being talked about. We will see what decisions will be made ”.
Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris with McLaren Formula 1 LEGO® Technic ™
Photo by: McLaren
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