Formula One’s governing body the FIA is potentially planning to restructure the sport’s race management and look to appoint a new race director.
The news comes with an inquiry into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and its controversial events currently ongoing.
The race was won by Max Verstappen, which meant that he was crowned the 2021 World Champion ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
However, it was the way that the race ended that has caused so much controversy.
It’s because of this that the FIA has been investigating everything that went on and the role played by the sport’s current race director, Michael Masi.
While it is acknowledged that Masi was in a high-pressure situation, with representatives from both teams involved trying to influence and get their point across, he also failed to follow the correct procedures.
What happened in Abu Dhabi?
As the race was nearing its conclusion and with Hamilton holding a comfortable lead over Verstappen, there was a late safety car period.
During the safety car period, Verstappen was able to pit for new tires and rejoin behind Hamilton, who remained on his used tires.
At this point, there were lapped cars in between the two title protagonists, and this is where the controversy began.
A call was made for the lapped cars to unlap themselves while behind the safety car, reducing the gap between Hamilton and Verstappen.
However, the lapped cars that were further behind were not allowed through at the same time.
With uncertainty still surrounding the situation, race control confirmed that the safety car period would end and there would be a final lap race to the flag.
With Verstappen on fresher tires, it was a mere formality for him to overtake Hamilton and cross the finish line to not only win the race, but also to clinch his maiden world championship.
The sequence of events caused widespread uproar as it seemed that the rules laid down by the governing body were not adhered to at the end of the race.
At the time, Hamilton’s Mercedes team protested against the result of the race, but this was refused by the race stewards.
They initially planned to appeal the decision but changed their mind after the plans to review the race were announced.
What will happen next?
Since the race, Masi has come under increased pressure to step away from the role, but the FIA may be looking to take the decision out of his hands and remove him from the role while also changing the structure of race management.
The new FIA president, Mohammed bin Sulayem, has held talks with all of the teams to investigate and solve the problems.
At this point, the teams want to ensure that, going forward, the sport can be run fairly with clear rules in place so that this doesn’t happen again.
The way that the season ended after one of the most enthralling title battles in years has dented the sport’s reputation, so the outcome of the review and the subsequent actions are vital to avoid any further damage.
