Mohammed bin Sulayem makes a strong decision in the FIA
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) announced Thursday that Australian Michael Massey has been sacked as racing director of the Formula One World Championship, over the controversial decisions taken in the final round of last season's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The news of Masi's dismissal came from the new Emirati FIA president, Mohammed bin Sulayem, who said, "I would like to inform you that a new team will be formed to manage races, starting from the Barcelona trials (23-25 February)," adding, "Nils Witic and Eduardo Freitas will take over. They will rotate as Racing Director, with Herbie Blush assisting them as permanent senior advisor."
The 44-year-old, who was offered another position in the FIA, according to the latter, paid the price for what happened in the final round of last season, when Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen crowned the title by overtaking the British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in the last meters after the decision to withdraw the safety car. And the race resumed, with only one lap left.
Massi found himself in a difficult situation after what happened, and a lot of criticism was directed at him, especially from the Mercedes team and its Austrian manager Toto Wolff.
Hamilton lost the opportunity to write history in the first category and break his association with the German "Red Baron" Michael Schumacher by achieving his eighth title, on the last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit, after Verstappen passed him on his way to winning his first world title.
The entry of the safety car after a late accident reduced the time difference between Hamilton, who was on his way to victory, and the "Mad Max", and the latter took advantage of his new soft tires to overtake the Mercedes driver who suffered from his tired tires and win both the race and the title after the safety car withdrew in last lap.
The International Federation conducted a "detailed and explanatory analysis" of the controversial events, it announced in mid-December, explaining, "This issue will be discussed with all teams and drivers to take advantage of this situation and provide clarifications to participants, the media and the fans about the approved laws." 2022 season” in Bahrain on March 20.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news