Michael Masi claims that there was nothing unusual about him offering the pole position ahead of the race restart in Jeddah.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen allegedly overtook Lewis Hamilton during the race restart after Mick Schumacher’s crash. But the events at the back of the grid produced another chaotic series of events.
Hence, it flared the red flags once again. On the other hand, the illicit overtake by Verstappen was being examined. In the end, ahead of the third standing start of the race, the grid order was being finalized.
FIA’s F1 race director Michael Masi offered two conditions to Red Bull. Either start from the third, or take the pole position, but the stewards would investigate Verstappen if he starts from the first place.
Horner took the second option to be safe. However, Masi attracted massive hostility for this negotiation with Horner. In response, the governing body’s representative said it’s a usual practice.
“It’s very much a normal discussion that happens regularly on a number of occasions and has had all year and previously,” he said. “I wouldn’t call it a deal,” he explained. “From a race directors’ perspective, I have no authority to actually instruct the teams to do anything.”
“In that situation, I can give them an offer, the ability to do that, but the choice is theirs. The stewards are obviously empowered to impose penalties, but I can give them my perspective, so that’s why I offered them the ability to give that position up.”
Michael Masi said everything was discussed under the confidence of stewards
Masi further reveals that the conversation between him and Honer looked odd since it happened during the red flag. He says that before discussing with the Red Bull boss, he informed the stewards, and it’s absolutely normal.
“So probably it seemed a bit elongated compared to normal. However, it’s very much a normal discussion that takes place. When I saw it [the Verstappen/Hamilton incident] happen at Turn 2, I immediately suggested to the stewards that I’m going to give the team the ability to give that place back.”
“The red flag obviously ensued very quickly thereafter, and that was absolutely the priority before we got going again. Being under a suspension, it was the ability to effectively correct that before we went racing again.”
