FIA: The report on Abu Dhabi published
A few days after the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the FIA announced the opening of an investigation into the events, the findings of which have just been released.
This Saturday, the World Motor Sport Council revealed the findings of the investigation report on the famous Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2021, at the end of which Max Verstappen was crowned world champion for the first time in his career. While the decisions made by the then race director, Michael Masi, did not meet unanimous approval, the FIA, chaired by Mohammed Ben Sulayem, confirmed the mistakes made by the Australian, despite his good intentions.
As a reminder, the British driver Lewis Hamilton was dominating the race until Nicholas Latifi’s accident on the 53rd lap. It was the decisions made during the safety car period that drew reactions. In order to avoid a final lap under the safety car, Michael Masi accelerated all the procedures. In doing so, the Dutch driver Max Verstappen, who was on fresh tires at the time, had a clear path to attack Lewis Hamilton.
Jean Todt, the outgoing president of the FIA, had then launched an investigation into the procedures initiated by Masi. The findings of this investigation are now available.
The conclusions of the report
- « The role of the race director is inherently very intense and demanding. However, concern about the number of responsibilities that the race director has accumulated over the years is a recurring theme in detailed analysis and clarification exercises and can bring about additional pressure. » explicitly states the report.
« The safety car procedure was at the center of discussions during the detailed analysis, resulting from the application of this procedure at the Abu Dhabi GP 2021, in accordance with Articles 48.12 and 48.13 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.
The race director recalled the safety car to the pit lane without it having completed an additional lap, as required by the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations (Article 48.12).
It is clear, according to the analysis, that there could be different interpretations of Article 48.12 and Article 48.13 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.
Although he recognizes the mistakes that were made, the report states that the race result is validated and will remain unchanged.
