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After Michael Masi’s blunder with Lewis Hamilton FIA President claims he’ll never have this in F1 again

Somin Bhattacharjee
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After Michael Masi's blunder with Lewis Hamilton FIA President claims he'll never have this in F1 again

The 2021 F1 season finale will live long in the memory of fans for being one of the most controversial races of all time. The equation ahead lights out that evening was fairly straightforward. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen entered the race level on points and whoever finished ahead, would win the World Championship.

The stakes were high, but Hamilton’s W12 was too powerful for Verstappen that evening. He dominated the majority of the race until a late safety car undid all his hard work. The SC coming out, followed by a series of bizarre decisions made by race director Michael Masi effectively handed the Title over to Verstappen, leading to worldwide outrage. The drama that unfolded after the events of Yas Island was huge, and the debates regarding the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP still rage to this day.

In the aftermath, Masi lost his job as F1’s race director, and the FIA appointed two new directors that would take control of the races from 2022 onwards. Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich are the current race directors in F1, and they both take charge of races alternatively.

Also read: Nicholas Latifi 2023 net worth: How much does Williams sacked driver earns?

F1 will never have one race director again after Lewis Hamilton incident

Mohammed Ben Sulayem took over the FIA after Jean Todt’s resignation at the end of 2021. Since then, he made it a priority to ensure that the events of Abu Dhabi in 2021 are never repeated. One of the things he insisted on was having two race directors throughout the season.

As things stand, Ben Sulayem is adamant that he doesn’t want to go back to having just one man in charge in the near future. He is fairly happy with the way things work between Wittich and Freitas and sees it continuing.

“You cannot just have one race director and rely on them,” said Ben Sulayem as quoted by Motorsport. “I see that we should prepare the second role. We cannot rely in the biggest discipline that we have, or any other discipline. I am a big believer. That there is, somewhere in the world, better race directors than anyone, better stewards.”

Hamilton’s gut wrenching defeat in 2021 wasn’t helped by the difficult 2022 season he went through. Mercedes were off the pace for the majority of the season, and Hamilton for the first time in his career, failed to win a race in an entire calendar year.

Also read: Max Verstappen refuses that he dominated 2022 even though he won championship with four races remaining

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Basketball Editor Somin Bhattacharjee first discovered the game during the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Not long after, he turned to the NBA and found himself drawn to the Golden State Warriors — right at the start of Stephen Curry’s rise. Over time, the admiration turned into full-blown support for the team, one that continues even as the Curry era approaches its twilight. A true hoophead, Somin also follows EuroLeague basketball closely and enjoys exploring the game beyond the NBA. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. Since 2021, he has penned over 3,000 articles for TheSportsRush, covering everything from breaking news to sharp opinion pieces and detailed exclusives. He thrives on writing about in-game moments and the reactions that make basketball a uniquely emotional sport. Beyond basketball, Somin plays different sports including soccer and remains a passionate fan of Spanish football giants Real Madrid

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