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The Abu Dhabi final lap controversy

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki


"The Abu Dhabi Final Lap Controversy[1][2][3]", was a sporting controversy which occurred during the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix; a Formula One race held on 12 December 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The race ended with ongoing debates after the race director of Formula One racing, Michael Masi, seemingly made several unconventional decisions, which pundits argued influenced the outcome of the final race win, and the winner of the 2021 Formula One World Championship.[4]

Lewis Hamilton, placed second in the Championship (on equal points with championship leader Max Verstappen) was in first led for the majority of the race and was leading by 12 seconds, with 5 laps remaining.

portrait of Max Verstappen
New Champion Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull Racing-Honda.
A black man in his early thirties with short facial hair smiling while wearing a hat.
Lewis Hamilton, defending champion, driving for Mercedes.

In the closing stages of the race, a safety car neutralised the race, wiping out Hamilton's 12-second lead. That and an unusually early withdrawal of the safety car, led to a 1-lap race to the chequered flag, between Hamilton and championship contender Max Verstappen, who compared to Hamilton had pitted for fresh tires, culminating in an overtake, race win and the championship.

Mercedes' protested the result on the grounds that the rules of safety car withdrawal were not followed, however the stewards rejected the protest on the grounds that the race director has "overriding authority".

The events during the last lap have been viewed as one the most controversial finishes and season endings in the history of Formula One,[5][6][7] and left observers surprised, as a Formula One race had never ended this way before.[8][9][10]

Background[edit]

The beginning of the season, started with Max Verstappen, racing for Red Bull Honda highly favoured to win the championship. Due to Red Bull seemingly adapting to regulations and 7-time Formula One World Champion and the defending World Champion Lewis Hamilton`s team Mercedes AMG Petronas struggling, Red Bull appeared to have an advantage with a "quicker car" at the beginning of the season.[11][12]

However, a late October surge in car and engine optimization of Mercedes, led to Lewis Hamilton winning the three last races, while Red Bull seemingly struggled to keep up with the rate of Mercedes end of season engine development.[13][14][15] Four days before the race, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner acknowledged they would "need a miracle" to win the Championship.[16]

The constellation before the last race was therefore title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, entering the last round both having 369.5 championship points, making this the first time since 1974, championship contenders were level on points at the last race of the season.[17] With both drivers level on points, the driver who scored the most points would win the championship.[18][19]

With the ongoing rivalry, concerns soon emerged both drivers might cause a race collision, due to several on-track battles Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen had during the season.[20] There was indeed cause for concern, as previous collisions, during the 1989, 1990, and 1994 Championship, have led to drivers with more points or race wins, winning the Championship.[21]

To prevent a scenario like this from happening again, race director Michael Masi cautioned both drivers, they could face FIA - (The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile; English: International Automobile Federation) sanctions, including point reduction, championship disqualification, or future race bans, if they staged a race-ending collision.[22][23]

According to the race director, "it had long been agreed" between all the teams that "where possible it was highly desirable for the race to end in `green` condition" (that is the race not ending with a safety car).[24][25]

The race until lap 53[edit]

The race started at 17:00 pm local time on Sunday 12 December 2021 and was up till lap 53, fairly uneventful.

Lewis Hamilton led from the start, overtaking Max Verstappen before the first corner. Both almost had a first-lap collision at the corner of turn 6.[26] Hamilton avoided the collision and emerged with a slight lead ahead of Verstappen. The racing stewards concluded Lewis Hamilton didn't need to hand the place back.[26]

During lap 35, Alfa Romeo racing driver Antonio Giovinazzi retired his car because of gearbox problems, triggering a virtual safety car. Red Bull used this opportunity to swap Verstappen's tires to a new set of hard compound tires without losing track position; Mercedes opted not to change their tires, fearing they might lose 1st-place position.[26]

The final 5 laps and orders made by race control[edit]

File:F1 Abu Dhabi 2021, lap 53.jpg
Race leaders progress until lap 53

Deployment of the safety car[edit]

By lap 53, and after a 1-hour, 25-minute race, race leader Lewis Hamilton had acquired a lead of 12 seconds ahead of 2nd placed Max Verstappen.[27][28] In lap 53 however, Williams driver Nicholas Latifi, went off the circuit at turn 14, and crashed into the barriers, triggering a safety car period.

After Latifi's car and remaining debris were cleared between lap 53 and lap 56, questions arose around lap 56/57, if there would be enough laps left to resume racing.

In lap 56 race control issued a notice on the official time and message board.

1827 LAPPED CARS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO OVERTAKE[29][30]

This led to the race director being lobbied by Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner to allow the cars to unlap and to race for one more lap.[31] The team boss of the other team, Mercedes Team Boss, Toto Wolff then also began lobbying the race director, not to withdraw the safety car until the end of the race.[31]

The controversy[32] specifically evolved around, if the conventional approach to ending a safety car period, should have been adopted.

Traditional ending of a safety car period: safety car staying out two additional laps.[edit]

According to FIA regulations and previous precedent in the past, race directors usually resumed racing after a safety car period, as follows:

a) Allowing all lapped cars (that is, any car that hadn`t completed the same amount of laps as the race leader) to overtake the safety car,

b) Giving lapped cars one lap to the join the back of the grid, (in this case lap 57) and

c) afterwards, after the last lapped had rejoined the grid, in the following lap, giving the safety car another one lap to peel into the pit lane, (in this case at the end of lap 58).

In this scenario, according to Mercedes` viewpoint, Hamilton would have won the race and the championship, as there wouldn't have been enough time for a final lap. The cars would have needed two laps (lap 57 and lap 58) to drive back to the back of the queue, and for the safety car to drive back to the pit lane. Lewis Hamilton would have crossed the finish line a few meters hereafter.

There had been previous precedent for this scenario, when Sebastian Vettel won a World Championship behind a safety car in 2012.[33][34]

Modified safety car ending in this race: safety car immediately returning to the pit lane[edit]

The race director in this race, however slightly modified this procedure.

a) he ordered five out of eight cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap and overtake the safety car. These lapped cars were unable to join the back of the grid, as the race restarted after they passed the safety car.

b) The race director also immediately withdrew the safety car in the same lap 57, to enable a last lap, lap 58 race to the finish line.

c) In addition, the remaining three lapped cars (Daniel Ricciardo, Lance Stroll and Mick Schumacher) on new tires, weren`t allowed to unlap themselves. This meant they were unable to race against the first group of lapped cars (Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel) on worn tires.

In this scenario, unlapping a few cars and withdrawing the safety car, all happened in one lap (lap 57), which enabled race control to open up the race for the final lap (in lap 58), with Verstappen winning the final lap.

The decision of the race director, allowing only a few cars to unlap themselves, and withdrawing the safety car the same lap, has never been seen in Formula One, and appeared to be a new interpretation to safety car procedures.[5][9][8]

For decades, race directors, including Michael Masi himself,[lower-alpha 1] had allowed lapped cars to overtake the safety car, waited for them to rejoin the race at the back of the grid, and after the last lapped car had rejoined, ordered the safety car to drive back into the pit lane in the following lap.[36][37]

Motorsport Week noted, if the race director had applied the same rule for both races, there wouldn't have been enough time to restart the race.[38]

All of the above, which ultimately defined the result of the race, and the outcome of the 2021 Championship, had never happened throughout Formula One history.[39][40][41] The incident has been widely regarded as one of the most controversial endings to a Formula One race, and certainly to a Formula One season.[42][43][44][45]

These instructions, and also the fact that Mercedes had not swapped fresher tires unto Hamilton`s car, enabled Verstappen to pass Hamilton into turn 5, to take the lead a few seconds before the end of the race, and win the race.

File:Abu padock.jpg
Within one lap, Max Verstappen had five lapped cars removed in front of him, and was then able to overtake race leader Lewis Hamilton a few seconds before the end, for the race win and the World Championship.

In the end, Hamilton finished second and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. finished third, with Verstappen taking the World Drivers' Championship title.

Race classification[edit]

Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 33 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda 58 1:30:17.345 1 261
2 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 58 +2.256 2 18
3 55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 58 +5.173 5 15
4 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-Honda 58 +5.692 8 12
5 10 France Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-Honda 58 +6.531 12 10
6 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 58 +7.463 6 8
7 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 58 +59.200 3 6
8 14 Spain Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 58 +1:01.708 11 4
9 31 France Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 58 +1:04.026 9 2
10 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari 58 +1:06.057 7 1
11 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin-Mercedes 58 +1:07.527 15
12 3 Australia Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 57 +1 lap 10
13 18 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin-Mercedes 57 +1 lap 13
14 47 Germany Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari 57 +1 lap 19
152 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda 55 Oil pressure 4
Ret 6 Canada Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 50 Accident 16
Ret 99 Italy Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 33 Hydraulics 14
Ret 63 United Kingdom George Russell Williams-Mercedes 26 Gearbox 17
Ret 7 Finland Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Racing-Ferrari 25 Brakes 18
WD 9 Russian Automobile Federation Nikita Mazepin Haas-Ferrari 0 Illness —
Fastest lap: Netherlands Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing-Honda) – 1:26.103 (lap 39)
Source:[46][47]

Legal proceedings[edit]

This led to a legal controversy, if the actions of the race director were covered by the safety car regulations.

Mercedes' post-race protests[edit]

Mercedes therefore, filed a formal protest[48][49] against the result of the race, asserting:

  • Verstappen had overtaken Hamilton at the end of the safety car period,[50] and
  • By only allowing the five cars directly in front of Verstappen to unlap themselves, but not providing any opportunity for the three other cars in front of Sainz to unlap themselves, as directed by regulations, race control had contravened the F1 Sporting Regulations,[51][52][53]
  • and the restart should have occurred the following lap after all cars had been allowed to unlap themselves, and therefore the result of the race had been invalid.[51][52][53]

Red Bull`s counter-argument[edit]

According to Red Bull,

  • Article 15.3 of the FIA Sporting Regulations[54] gives the race director overriding authority over the use, deployment, and withdrawal of the safety car;
  • Article 48.13, which governs the withdrawal of the safety car, overrides Article 48.12;

Furthermore, Red Bull contended:

  • that "any", does not mean "all", therefore not all cars were required to lap the race leaders under Article 48.12, and
  • the result of the race wouldn`t have changed anyway if all nine lapped cars had been allowed to unlap.[55]

The race director`s argument[edit]

The race director stated:

  • the teams had agreed, where possible, they would highly prefer for the race to finish under "green" racing, instead of ending under a safety car.
  • In his view, Article 48.13 applied in this case because the purpose of Article 48.12 was to remove lapped cars that would "interfere" with the race between the leading cars.[55]

The Racing Stewards ruling[edit]

The FIA stewards comprising of Gary Connelly, Felix Holter, Mohamed Al Hashmi, as well as the Driver Steward Derek Warwick[56] based their decisions on Articles 15.3; 48.12, and 48.13 of the Formula One Sporting regulations.[57]

They rejected the protest,[58] noting Verstappen never overtook Hamilton during the safety car, and cited the "overriding authority" of the race director according of the F1 regulations, pointing out the race director had the right to make any rule regarding safety car procedure, and announcing Hamilton as race winner in lap 57 was essentially shortening the race.[59][60]

Verstappen was therefore provisionally confirmed as race winner and world champion, pending any appeal.[61][62]

Mercedes appeal[edit]

After the stewards` ruling, Mercedes lodged[63] their intention to appeal to the FIA's International Court of Appeal,[64] however, later decided not to go forward with their appeal, in response to the FIA's announcement it would perform a "detailed analysis and clarification exercise" of the incident.[65][66]

Aftermath[edit]

Reactions from current or former drivers, engineers, team members, managers[edit]

Reactions questioning race controls decisions[edit]

Lewis Hamilton and Peter Bonnington

In a last-lap radio message, Hamilton exclaimed: "This is getting manipulated, man", to his race engineer Peter Bonnington.[67][68] After crossing the finish line Bonnington still shocked about what had just happened told Hamilton: "I'm just speechless Lewis, absolutely speechless".[69][70]

Carlos Sainz Jr.

Carlos Sainz Jr. stated after the race, the directive to resume racing sandwiched between lapped drivers with fresh tires in front and drivers with fresh tires behind, "nearly cost him (his) podium".[71]

Lando Norris

Lando Norris, who was the first of the drivers permitted to unlap themselves, remarked the decision to race again on the last lap was "made for TV".[72]

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso, the 2nd of the lapped drivers He added his thoughts about the confusion at the sudden instruction for only a few cars, but not all cars to unlap themselves, "was a little bit confusing" [73]. Regarding the race director creating the last lap shootout, Alonso told Dutch TV station Ziggo Sport: "That was pure luck, we have to be honest about that"[74]

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc, the fourth of the lapped drivers said "it was a bit weird"[73]

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel, in an interview after the race Vettel remarked, he got the message to unlap himself very late: "I think too late," However, he also defended Masi and the stewards, commenting that Masi and the stewards "had a tough job and it was probably difficult to get it 100 per cent right".[75]

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo during the race remarked "whatever just happened. It seemed pretty f***ed up”[67]. In an interview after the race, he noted he was "speechless" at the decision making, especially as the decision of the race director did not allow him to also race the five-car pack, while he was on newer soft-compound tires.[73]

Lance Stroll

Lance Stroll in an interview after the race, told reporters not being waved through to overtake the safety car, and join the other lapped drivers was "frustrating and something he did not understand"[76].

Two months after the race, Stroll elaborated further, saying that a race director "can`t change the rules halfway through" at the end of the race, and that "it`s just never been done before". He pointed out that it was "important for Formula One to "keep rules consistent" without "making up rules at the end of a race". He concluded by saying what happened was "manipulating the rules in a way, and I just don`t think that`s right"[77]

George Russell

Williams F1 driver George Russell who didn't finish the race and retired earlier due to a gearbox failure, called the last lap decisions "absolutely unacceptable. I cannot believe what we’ve just seen".[78][79]

Alain Prost

Former Formula One driver and 4-time 1985, 1986, 1989, and 1993 World Champion Alain Prost reflected on the decisions by the race director in an exclusive interview with RacingNews365.com, observing that "it was not very correct"[80]

Damon Hill

1996 F1 World Champion Damon Hill remarked that race control appeared to be without precedent, and decisions increasingly becoming "guess what I`m going to do now"[81]

Nico Rosberg

2016 Formula One World Champion Nico Rosberg felt Masi "did not follow the rules", and said Christian Horner demanding "one more lap of racing" to Masi via radio was inappropriate.[82][83] But he also sympathised with Masi, commenting: "He's got the whole world watching and he has to decide in the next 15 seconds what he’s doing."[84]

Juan Pablo Montoya

Former Formula One driver and 7-time race winner, Juan Pablo Montoya gave a video interview on Motorsport.com in which he criticised that race control didn't wave the lapped cars in front of Carlos Sainz Jr. to the back of the grid. He also remarked that the race directing didn't follow sporting rules, but rather "putting on a good show".[85]

Timo Glock

Former Formula One and DTM racing driver, and current Sky Germany F1 analyst Timo Glock, remarked "it felt like the FIA didn`t know its own rules.” He continued that although there was pressure for the race directors and the stewards, to make the decision, "they also have to know what the rulebook is."[86][87]

Stefan Johansson

Former Formula One driver for Ferrari, McLaren, and Ligier, and 12-time podium finisher Stefan Johansson reflected on his blog page that he had predicted before the race, the race would not be decided between the drivers, but rather by control "another random call" which was the culmination of a series of incredibly "bad calls as the year went on". He continued that the decision of the race director "completely ignored any level of common sense".[88]

Karun Chandhok

Former Formula One driver (now TV Analyst) Karun Chandhok, remarked the direction from race control was "confusing",[89] as first they stated lapped cars will not be allowed to overtake the safety car at which time Lewis Hamilton wasn't able to change his tires anymore; followed by the instruction that five cars were allowed to overtake the safety car.[89]

Christijan Albers

Former Dutch Formula One driver Christijan Albers commented this was not the only "confused call"[90] by Michael Masi. He told De Telegraaf, that the race director made a "mistake by only allowing five cars to unlap themselves".[90]

Hans-Joachim Stuck

German former March and Brabham Formula One driver Hans-Joachim Stuck called the situation a "mess" with "decisions that nobody can understand anymore" in an exclusive interview with Eurosport Germany.[91] He continued that Verstappen "owed the title to Masi", because without him he would have "never been able to drive past Hamilton"[91]

John Watson

Former Formula One driver and 5-time Grand Prix winner John Watson weighed in, saying the race director had other options like "red flagging the race" in an interview with RacingNews365.com.[92] He acknowledged that Hamilton was not cheated out of the championship, "but was done out" by the actions of the race director."[93]

Peter Windsor

Former Williams team manager and current F1 analyst Peter Windsor gave his views on the race in his weekly YouTube video analysis. He explained because the paragraphs are all written chronologically, following each other sequentially and logically, he doubted that the safety car regulations are variables that the race director "can play around with".[94][95]

He went on to explain that the race director had two options: a) finishing the race without the cars unlapping themselves; then there would have been one lap left to resume racing, or b) the cars unlapping; then the safety car would have ended the race, and the option the race director chose, was a "split in between, down the middle".

Johnny Herbert

Former Formula One driver and 3-time Grand Prix winner, Johnny Herbert wrote in a column for "The Times", that the FIA "got it wrong" and "robbed" Lewis Hamilton of winning the championship.[96] He explained that in the past all lapped cars behind a safety car where allowed to pass not just a couple, and for the race director to "muck it up so badly, left a bad taste".[96]

Martin Brundle

Three days after the race, former Formula One driver and current Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle, expressed his thoughts in a SkySports column. He laid out the race director could have chosen two options: red flagging the race or finishing the race under a safety car.[97] However, Brundle also explained he is neither making any accusations, nor is he sympathizing with anyone, and although he understands why Hamilton might "feel aggrieved", Michael Masi had a "tough job" which was made harder by the F1 teams themselves.[97]

Eddie Jordan

Former team owner of the Jordan F1 racing team, Eddie Jordan, weighed in, saying he the decision only to let the drivers between the two frontrunners unlap themselves "confused" him.[98] He also criticized Lewis Hamilton for what he felt was "being too nice", because "nice guys don`t win titles".[99]

Narain Karthikeyan

Former Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan, bemoaned the unfairness of the procedure and said what happened "wasn`t sport". To him it seemed like "they wanted Max (Verstappen) to win".[100] With regards to the race director, he added the calls were made under tremendous pressure and "it went terribly wrong".[100]

Walter Röhrl

German rally legend, 2-time WRC World Rally Champion, and former Le Mans endurance race winner, Walter Röhrl, commented in an interview with the Straubinger Tagblatt that in the future he'll not "fool himself" watching a Formula One race".[101] He called for races to be decided in a "fair, clear process that is not influenced by opaque external instructions".[101]

Sébastien Ogier

FIA WRC World Rally Championship driver and 8-time WRC World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier observed that Hamilton was "robbed, let`s not be afraid to say it".[102][103]

Nyck de Vries

Dutch Formula One reserve driver Nyck de Vries in an interview remarked, although Verstappen deserved the title, race control made some decisions that "were not by the book" and came as a "surprise"[104]

David Coulthard

Former Formula One Williams, McLaren and Red Bull driver and 13-time race winner, David Coulthard, now Channel 4 TV Commentator and Analyst, noted on BBC Breakfast the next morning, the safety car led to "a sequence of events that none of us have seen before."[105]

Susie Wolff

Susie Wolff, CEO of Formula E team Venturi Racing and ex-Formula One test driver for Williams announced the way in which "Lewis was robbed" left her in "utter disbelief". She added, one person applied a rule in a way which has "never been done before in F1, single-handedly deciding the F1 world championship", and concluded rules can not be changed "on a whim" at the end of a race.[106]

Alexander Rossi

Former Formula One driver, current IndyCar driver, and 7-time race winner Alexander Rossi, observed that Verstappen deserved the championship, "buttttt he didn`t love any of the way that went down."[107]

William Darrell Wallace Jr. ("Bubba Wallace")

William Darrell Wallace Jr. (also known as Bubba Wallace), NASCAR race winner declared: "Wtf was that?!?"[108]

James Hinchcliffe

James Hinchcliffe, Canadian IndyCar driver, and 6-time race winner, noted that racing was "wild" when "Netflix is making the calls”[109]

Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick, former NASCAR driver and IndyCar race winner, responded to James Hinchcliffe that it "didn’t seem fair", but was "exciting to watch!"[110]

Reactions supportive of race control[edit]

There were also race drivers and motorsports officials, who maintained that the actions of race control were within the FIA safety car rules.

Max Verstappen

After the race Max Verstappen commented: "Finally a bit of luck for me".[111]

Christian Horner

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner remarked, a decision at the beginning of the race went against Verstappen, and at the end of the race went for Verstappen "just at the right time". Horner defended race director Michael Masi, saying he made the right decision and followed the rules; especially since Formula One adopted a "Let them race" doctrine”.[112]

Dr Helmut Marko

Former Formula One driver, current Red Bull racing adviser and head of Red Bull young driver development program Dr Helmut Marko, reflected that Masi simply wanted to find a sporting solution for the last lap, and was "overwhelmed by team bosses constantly interfering with race management".[113][114]

Sergio Perez

Current Red Bull Formula One racing driver Sergio Perez, remarked considering the race director had to fill Charlie Whiting's shoes, after Whiting passed away, Michael Masi did a great job.[113]

Alexander Albon

Former Thai-British Formula One driver and current reserve driver for Red Bull Alexander Albon, told the Netherland Motorsport Magazine he understood both sides of the story, but he also believed the result was a result of "deserved Karma".[115]

Gerhard Berger

Former F1 driver and 10-times race winner Gerhard Berger praised Michael Masi in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard, as having done a good job not only in Abu Dhabi, but the entire year.[116] He emphasized that the race director was "pragmatic" in finding a "solution" that was within the rules.[117]

John Stewart ("Jackie Stewart")

Former Formula One driver and 3-time World Champion Jackie Stewart commented regarding the controversial decisions:

"Well, whatever way it worked out, it happened and we should just be very proud of our season, it’s been a fantastic season,” the three-time world champion told Eurosport on Sunday at Yas Marina Circuit.

Mika Häkkinen

Former Formula One driver and 2-time World Champion Mika Häkkinen supported Masi's directive to shorten the safety car procedure for a final lap shoot out, saying it would have been much worse, "an anti-climax", if the World Championship had finished behind a Safety Car, the Finn wrote in his post-race column for Unibet.

He added the Race Director's decision, was based "on his understanding" of the rules, including his responsibility for deciding when the Safety Car returns to the pits. and that his decision was later supported by the four stewards.[118]

Jacques Villeneuve

Former Formula One and IndyCar race driver and 1997 Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, defended the race director by admitting that Masi did everything right, and was working under a lot of pressure from two team bosses, especially from Toto Wolff who kept "shouting in Masi`s ear" in the last five laps.[119]

Robert Doornbos

Former Tennis player, Champ Car and Formula One racing driver, and current analyst Ziggo Sport Formula One analyst Robert Doornbos commented he thought Masi did an "amazing job" and that Toto Wolff was "put hard in his place", when Masi told him "this was motor racing".[120]

Romain Grosjean

Former Formula One driver Romain Grosjean claimed the decision was a "bad call for Lewis, but great for the TV spectacle."[121]

Zak Brown

McLaren CEO and former FIA GT racing driver Zak Brown defended Masi, saying that he believed Masi was "being made a scapegoat".[122]

Andreas Seidl

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl, suggested Masi's role should be understood in the context of an intense title battle and appreciated.[123]

Mattia Binotto

Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto defended Masi, saying "his job was the most difficult job on the planet at that time."[124]

Norbert Haug

In the direct aftermath of Abu Dhabi's race and the surrounding controversy around the race director, former vice president of Mercedes-Benz motorsport and 24 Hours Nürburgring endurance race driver Norbert Haug, gave his opinion to the RedBull-owned TV station Servus TV, claiming "Michael Masi was ingenious and brilliant in finding a solution." Regarding the protests of Mercedes, he advised his former employer: "Sh!t happens... but there comes a time to show dignity, and keep your mouth shut."[125][126]

Reactions by the International Press[edit]

Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad remarked luck had played throughout the season, and it wasn't Verstappen's fault his win had "become tainted with controversy."[127]

Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant pointed out a Formula One race director is under immense pressure to make snap decisions, and therefore expressed sympathy with Masi.[128]

BBC chief Formula One writer Andrew Benson headlined the race report: "'Max Verstappen's win decided by a questionable call'"[105] and further commented what happened in the last lap "was unprecedented, observers - drivers and team members - were baffled. What happened is not the way things are normally dealt with". He continued with: "The world championship had changed hands - as a result of a questionable call from the race director".[105]

Motorsport Magazine editor Joe Dunn, opined in his editorial,[6] the race directors "almighty cock-up gifted race and title to Max Verstappen" and the racing stewards "artificial intervention" illustrated a deeper and growing problem within Formula One; the desire to have entertaining, nail-biting, last lap race finishes for TV, at the cost of the integrity of the sport. He concluded the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will go down as "a day of infamy in the sport’s history".[6]

Formula One journalist for "The Race" Scott Mitchell commented since Masi's appointment in 2019, drivers and teams have been unhappy with how the FIA had begun to interpret regulations, and the Abu Dhabi situation was the culmination.[129]

Matt Dickinson with The Times suggested FIA should thoroughly review the officiating process. However, he also rejected complaints that race controls decision were made for entertainment. He stated, "rules in sport are contrived — and frequently tweaked to make a sport more entertaining — and we should not pretend there is only one perspective of justice, or that sport is an endless pursuit of fairness."[130] He also pointed out, the protests of injustice were coming from a British point of view; fans in other parts of the world did not believe Masi's calls had been unfair to Hamilton.[130]

German newsweekly DER SPIEGEL called the ending of the race "not normal" and "the race control confusing",[131]

Another German Newspaper "Die Welt" headlined "The race director caused a split in F1" and "deeply interfered in the title race, with his decisions"[132]

German Automobile Magazine "Auto Motor und Sport" commented on the instruction only to unlap five drivers, Masi made a decision "for the Sport", and "a team sometimes wins, and sometimes loses".[133]

French Auto magazine Autohebdo headlined Michael Masi's decision: "A nasty trick by Masi in Abu Dhabi",[134] that "condemned Lewis Hamilton and led to his downfall.[134]

Jack Austin on American Fox Sports commented Formula One "engineered" a finish to increase viewer excitement.[135]

Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic mirrored this view, and surmised Masi's race directions were to ensure "Netflix gets another juicy storyline for the next season of Drive to Survive". Bianchi also questioned the race director's capability of officiating Formula One races.[136]

Rick Allen NASCAR commentator, opined that it was "unbelievable how they changed the rules at the end of the race!"[137]

Andrew Lawrence of the sports website "The Undefeated" gave his commentary: "Lewis Hamilton was robbed",[138] he started. He continued that the race director had "many better options than what he chose", and he instead "stacked the deck for Verstappen"[138]

Chris Medland, an editor for the "Racer" racing website, concluded: "...never has a more brilliant season been destroyed so easily."[139]

Premature withdrawal of safety car[edit]

Reports indicate race control resumed racing before the track was officially cleared. The message to end the safety car and resume racing appeared at 18:31 pm, while the track was officially declared clear at 18:32 pm.[8]

1827 LAPPED CARS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO OVERTAKE

1831 LAPPED CARS 4 (NOR) - 14 - 31 - 16 - 5 TO OVERTAKE SAFETY CAR

1831 SAFETY CAR IN THIS LAP

1831 CLEAR IN TRACK SECTOR 17

1831 CLEAR IN TRACK SECTOR 15

1832 TRACK CLEAR

1832 CLEAR IN TRACK SECTOR 18

1833 CHEQUERED FLAG[8][140]

FIA inquiry[edit]

In a statement released on 15 December 2021, the FIA announced it would investigate the race to determine what went wrong and whether any changes should be made to the safety car procedure.[141]

According to the FIA, the review began in January 2022; expected to be completed by February 2022.[142] In the same statement, the FIA noted: "misunderstandings" between teams, drivers, and fans "tarnished the image" of the World Drivers' Championship.[143][144]

Scott Mitchell from the Motorsport Magazine "The RACE" criticised the FIA's initial December statement in response to the controversy for its suggestion, fans had "misunderstood" the events that occurred at the end of the Grand Prix, for its odd phrasing and attempt to shift blame.[145]

In an interview released on 17 December 2021, newly elected FIA President[146] Mohammed Ben Sulayem indicated he was considering making changes in the future to prevent such controversy, including the possibility of removing Masi from his role as Formula One race director. However, he said he wanted to get as much information as possible, what happened in Abu Dhabi before making any final decisions.[147]

As of 13 January 2022, the FIA indicated communicated it was contemplating making changes to safety car procedures as well as its internal operational structure within Formula One after consulting with all ten Formula One teams on "various issues," including a discussion of the Abu Dhabi events.

The FIA's Sporting Advisory Committee would discuss the matter of changing the safety car procedure in a meeting scheduled for 19 January 2022. Any changes agreed upon should be disclosed at a meeting held by the commission in February 2022, before being ratified by the FIA's World Motorsport Council on 18 March 20, two days before the opening round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship.[148]

The editors of Motorsport Magazine "The RACE" predicted FIA will confirm the decision was technically correct and within the rules, but there will be some regulatory changes as a compromise.[149]

Further developments January and February 2022[edit]

The Abu Dhabi controversy was an ongoing topic in Formula One.

Beginning of January, reports started emerging, within the FIA there was initially a sense the issue would go away as time passed, and as the issue continued going on, they might have underestimated the gravity of the situation, and what had occurred in Abu Dhabi.[150]

The BBC reported on 11 January 2022, the Formula One paddock was expecting the FIA to take significant action as a result of the race, including the replacement of Masi as FIA race director.[151]

The BBC furthermore reported newly elected FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem was expected to engage in discussions on future governance with the other nine team principals following his private talks with Wolff and FIA Secretary General Peter Bayer, to assess the matter of inconsistent stewards decisions, and driving standards[152]

January 14, 2022, one month after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Sky Sports F1 held an "F1 show special - Abu Dhabi: One month on",[153] in which new, previously unreleased team radio footages were also revealed, showing the extent of the chaos during the last few laps of the race.

Both Martin Brundle and race commentator David Croft admitted: "mistakes were made". Brundle emphasized a race director "can`t freestyle regulations", because teams are planning race strategies based on written rules. However, he maintained he believed there was no "conspiracy, malice, or fixing the race", as there was no "good evidence".[153]

Damon Hill pointed out the actions of race control allowed some cars to unlap themselves, but not others, and "that in itself was unfair", because what it resulted with, is a focus on the two title protagonists, and "I don't think you can run a motor race or a championship like that. You have to apply the rules equally to all competitors", he added.[153] However Hill also made it clear "manipulated was too strong a word" to describe the ending of the race.

Anthony Davidson added an important viewpoint to the debate, by explaining the actions of race control, were also unfair on the cars who are racing those other five cars who were allowed to overtake the safety car. "They are more than just two people in that race", he contended. He also clarified Hamilton "wasn`t robbed" of the championship, because Verstappen himself had lots of bad luck in Baku and Hungary, but "Lewis was definitely robbed of the race win in Abu Dhabi."[153]

Ted Kravitz pushed back at the notion Michael Masi had to make a decision within a few seconds. He pointed out there were four minutes between 18:27 PM and 18:31 PM, between the message cars wouldn't be able allowed to overtake, and when the race director changed his mind. He suggested FIA in its investigation would need to investigate what happened within those four minutes, why the race director changed his mind, or if someone else convinced him to change his mind.[153]

Newly released video footage and the role of Jonathan Wheatley[edit]

Two months after the race, unearthed footage from the race, containing radio, which wasn't broadcast during the worldwide TV broadcast[lower-alpha 2] emerged on social media.[155] In the footage Red Bull`s Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley could be heard suggesting to race director Michael Masi, allowing lapped cars to unlap themselves, but not rejoining the back of the grid, would enable the race director get in a last lap of racing.[156][157]

Calls to remove the race director[edit]

The video raised further questions and renewed calls for Michael Masi to be relieved of his duties as race director,[158][159] as the video was widely regarded as a team manager, suggesting the outcome of a race to a race director,.[160][161]

BBC reporting soon suggested, that Masi was expected to take on a new role within the FIA, with sources reporting he may likely become a safety delegate.[162] On 14 February 2022, the FIA announced it would unveil an 'action plan' on structural changes within its organisation following its investigation and a meeting of the F1 Commission.[163]

Later that week, FIA announced DTM - Deutsche Tourenwagon Masters race director Niels Wittich and WEC - World Endurance Championship race director Eduardo Freitas would be new race Formula One directors. Deputy Race Director veteran of 20 years, Michael ("Herbie") Blash, was appointed as "Permanent Senior Advisor" for Wittich and Freitas.[164]

Michael Masi was dropped from his position of Formula One race director.[165][166]

As the FIA have not overturned the stewards decisions, and because Mercedes withdrew their appeal, the decisions made by the former race director remain confirmed.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ↑ After the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, race director Michael Masi had made it clear that the reason why the safety car period took very long, was because all lapped cars had to unlap themselves: ”There’s a requirement in the sporting regulations to wave all the lapped cars past,” he told Motorsport Week. "From that point, it was position six onwards that were still running [on the lead lap], so between 10 or 11 cars had to unlap themselves. “Therefore the safety car period was a bit longer than what we would have normally expected.”[35]
  2. ↑ The radio messages did not gain widespread attention, until it was picked up by several media outlets in February 2022, because the footage was initially only available to paid subscribers of the F1 TV Pro channel, mid December 2021, and four days later on the Formula One YouTube channel: “The Dramatic Climax To The Title Showdown / RADIO UNWIND / 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix".[154]

References[edit]

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