Formula 1 race director Michael Masi ended up in the spotlight after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix due to the controversial race finale that saw Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton and become the 2021 world champion. the role of the referee and how long has he been doing it?
Who is Michael Masi?
Australian Michael Masi is the FIA Formula 1 Race Director, and as such acts as referee on Grand Prix weekends, overseeing the running of track activities. In addition, he is the F1 safety delegate, and therefore his role revolves around several areas, including the inspection of the circuits and their homologation. He is also involved in drafting the F1 sporting regulations.
What experiences did you have before F1?
Before arriving in F1, Masi gained motorsport experience in various roles in Australia, mainly around the popular Supercars. His first Formula 1 experience was as a spectator at the 1992 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. He had uncles who competed in club races and in his teens he had worked for some teams in the Super Touring. Since 2003 he has worked for TEGA – Touring Car Entrants Group Australia – then getting an operational role in Supercars, in which he had his first experience working alongside the marshals and in the race direction.
In 2008 he was hired by CAMS, the Australian Motorsport Confederation, and through this role contributed to the creation of the Singapore (2008) and Korea (2010) Grand Prix, overseeing the training of local stewards. He was also involved in karting and rallying activities in Australia. He then returned to Supercars in 2012, becoming deputy race director under Tim Schenken, a position he held for four years before joining F1.
Andreas Seidl Team Principal, McLaren F1 with F1 Race Director Michael Masi
Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images
How long has Michael Masi been race director in F1?
The role of race director in F1 has been held by the legendary Charlie Whiting since the early 1990s, with Herbie Blash working as his deputy. Following Blash’s retirement, Frenchman and former Toro Rosso engineer Laurent Mekies served as his deputy – before making a surprise return to a team with Ferrari. Whiting needed a deputy for the 2018 season, and asked Masi and Formula E race director Scott Elkins to share the work that year.
Having worked on nine races in 2018, Masi was chosen to continue as F1 vice for a similar number of races in 2019, as well as being the permanent vice for F2 and F3. Unfortunately Whiting died on the eve of the first race of the 2019 season, in Australia. Masi stepped in to fill the lead role for the Melbourne weekend, and was subsequently retained for the remainder of that year. Since January 2020 he has been officially entrusted with the full-time position.
What is the job of the race director in F1?
On Grand Prix weekends, Masi has overall responsibility for race direction, and is directly responsible for many areas, including stopping races with a red flag, the use of Safety Cars and Virtual Safety Cars, and the use of the black and white flags. It also makes decisions on issues such as checking the track limits at each circuit. However, he does not pronounce on punishments – which is the work of the panel of four stewards, which includes a former pilot.
Typically Masi reports an incident to the commissioners, who decide whether it is worthy of investigation and conduct a full investigation if necessary. Then, eventually, they confirm any sanctions. He also communicates with the marshals through the test director, who is the top local official. After each race, Masi reviews the weekend’s activities and makes suggestions for possible improvements.
Michael Masi, Race Director and Stefano Domenicali, CEO, Formula 1
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
How does the race director communicate with the drivers and teams?
Masi’s main formal contact with F1 drivers is the online briefing which takes place on the Friday evening of each race weekend, although drivers are free to meet him informally at other times. It has a formal link with each team through a designated representative who usually carries the title of sporting director or team manager. Sporting directors also have their regular meetings with Masi on Thursdays of race weekends, before the action on the track begins, but they can meet or contact him at any time when problems arise.
Masi often communicates with sports directors via radio during races, typically on issues such as drivers gaining an advantage by going off the track. He can advise teams to tell their driver to return the position to avoid the penalty, while they can ask him questions or make requests on behalf of their teams. These radio messages were first broadcast on television in 2021. Such broadcasts revealed that team principals also occasionally contact Masi directly.
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