FIA president to announce “action plan” arising from Abu Dhabi GP inquiry

2022 F1 season

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Details of the FIA’s response to the inquiry into the event of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be made public “in the coming days” following today’s meeting of the F1 Commission.

A discussion around the events of the race, and the controversial final lap restart which swung the outcome of the world championship, was held the meeting in London today. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who replaced Jean Todt as FIA president in December, chaired the discussion involving representatives of teams including Toto Wolff of Mercedes and Christian Horner of Red Bull.

“The FIA President led detailed discussions of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix,” said the FIA in a statement. “Feedback from the commission on matters raised will be incorporated into the president’s analysis and he will publicly present news of structural changes and action plan in the coming days.”

Among the changes likely to arise from the investigation is restrictions on communications between team members and the race directors. Messages between FIA F1 race director Michael Masi and members of the Red Bull and Mercedes teams were heard on several occasions during the disputed race.

The future structure of the race director role, and Masi’s involvement in it, are also likely to feature in Ben Sulayem’s action plan. The FIA’s secretary general for motor sport, Peter Bayer, previously indicated the governing body wished to share the race director’s duties between more than one person, and said it was possible Masi may not continue in the main role.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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14 comments on “FIA president to announce “action plan” arising from Abu Dhabi GP inquiry”

  1. That’s good news, as long as this inquiry has been done properly (can’t take anything for granted). Good to see that the first public announcement from the inquiry won’t be on the Friday of Bahrain, immediately before the start of the season (which is something I initially feared). I do somewhat feel for Ben Sulayem though, kinda thrust into this situation that he or his administration isn’t really at fault for, but are having to deal with the side effects of it. Bet this wasn’t in his job advert.

    Not so good news is the other outcome of the meeting today…

  2. It sounds like we are going to hear the plans earlier than the start of the first race weekend. That’s good. The wordings, however, is not really giving me much reason to be any more optimistic that the outcome will be enough to satisfy me, but nor does it give me reason to be less so. Let’s see what comes out “in the coming days”…

  3. They’re going to make some changes without really admitting or explaining anything. Just what I’d do if I were marking my own dodgy homework.

    1. There is going to be zero admittance and Masi is going nowhere. Any admission will just give un-credibility to Max’s win.

      It’ll have rule changes I’m sure, but under “clarification” and “simplification” to avoid confusion for the teams and fans. After all “we didn’t understand” the rules according to the stewards.

      1. Personally, as long as those changes actually correct the problem and stop the race director from making stuff up without need again, I can live with them being phrased as clarifications or simplifications. If they don’t do that, they are meaningless and the travesty of Abu Dhabi can happen again.

    2. No publication of a report, means a complete lack of transparency. A typical “trust us and leave us alone to fix it” attitude. A full season of frankly baffling steward decisions and inconsistencies, leading to a final race with a clear melt-down by those in charge.
      For example, I believe a published report should nullify several stewards and race control decisions taken in 2021 as not valid for precedence – for example both Lewis and Max’s failure to stay on the track at Abu Dhabi and Brazil but keep their leads, and the contrived set of decisions on how to end the Abu Dhabi race.

  4. I doubt the FIA will hang Masi out to dry over his actions but they need to appease the teams. So it would not surprise me if he were to be ‘promoted’ out of the role of race director.

  5. An obscenely wealthy individual who is being paid a fortune to act as a figurehead president announces an “Action Plan”

    Excuse me while I put my life on hold to await the outcome.

  6. You can see the fudge coming from miles away.

    Of course their not going to change Masi as race director as that would totally undermine Max as WDC.

    I thought that time would heal the outrage I feel after the travesty that unfolded in Abu-Dhabi……it hasn’t. F1 can kiss my money goodbye.

    In other news I hear that Mercedes have hired Mystic Meg as chief strategist.

  7. I hope that conversation between masi and red bull sporting director is highlighted. That was playing cheating in my books. Its like the coach telling the referee he should let his striker take a penalty at a closer position while the goal keeper hugs the pole and sings “aint no mountain high enough…”

  8. All they need to do is to scrap the overriding authority that Race Director have. Else what new rules also no use.

    I find this articles explained well

    https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/43526/how-f1-race-director-michael-masis-bad-calls-decided-the-championship

  9. Good read Normality

  10. They are forgetting the part where they pay a management consultant firm a fortune to write a report recommending the drafting of SOPs for things they already do.

  11. If Masi goes everyone will say LH got his revenge, and he will look evil, far from the activist he wants to be.

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