Shuffling of FIA personnel an indicator that Masi wasn’t in the “wrong” : Mattia Binotto
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Scuderia Ferrari's Team Principal Mattia Binotto
The dramatic end to the 2021 season of Formula One which saw a fiery battle between Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, a 7-time world championship winner and Red bull’s Max Verstappen ended with former FIA race director Michael Masi getting removed from his position. This decision was taken after Masi came under immense scrutiny following his decision to have the safety car be on the track and him allowing the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves right before the final lap of the last race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The head-to-head rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen ended with the latter clinching his maiden championship title at the Yas Marina Circuit.
However, it is to note that Masi wasn’t exactly banned from the sport, instead he was given an alternate role in the safety sector of Formula One after getting replaced by Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas who are going to share the role of a race director between themselves.
A lot of the drivers on the grid came out in support of Masi following his sack including 4-time world championship winner Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen himself. The defending champion even referred to the FIA as them throwing the Australian individual “under the bus”.
What does Binotto have to say about Masi’s sack?
On being asked about his views on Masi’s exit, Scuderia Ferrari’s team principal and engineer Mattia Binotto said, “I think it is not a departure. It is a shuffling within the FIA so Michael Masi is still there in a different role and I think his new role will be as key as the previous one. I am pretty sure he will do a good job as he did [as race director]”.
“On the sporting regulations I think it is always a matter of continuous improvement, trying to understand how we can do better and I think that the FIA decided to make some changes.”
“I think we need to trust their independence, the way that they act. They had time to analyze, time to discuss. It was discussed at the F1 Commission when all the team principals were there at the time, it was discussed at the world council so it is not just a change which has been decided in one day or in one night”
He further affirmed his faith in the FIA for taking the right decisions which are for the best and which doesn’t necessarily indicate that Masi was in the wrong. “I think it is simply that you always need to improve and I think they simply decided there is a different set-up that can bring for a better situation in the future,” added the Swiss-born engineer.
“I don’t think there is a necessity to revamp the sporting regulations” : Binotto on sporting regulations following technical regulations in F1
The 2022 season of Formula One will feature a completely new set of implemented technical rules and regulations. This has further sparked debates over the sport needing certain new sporting regulations too. On being asked about his views for the need of a revamp of sporting regulations, Binotto replied, “I don’t think there is a necessity to revamp the sporting regulations, it is a matter of continuous improvement and optimization. I think that the current regs, for many years, have been discussed, agreed, have been modified, have been optimized.”
“We have got a governance in place where we are discussing through a process at first a sporting advisory group but then as well the F1 Commission. So I think that there is a clear process in place that is robust, that has existed for years. Honestly, there is always room for improvement. I think that is important. I think we can always learn from the past but revamping is, I believe, not the right word.”
Fans have already seen the technical regulations take motion in the form of the new liveries this season and they’ll get a more simplified understanding once the season officially commences this month in Bahrain where the first Grand Prix of the 2022 season is going to be conducted.
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Rishika Saha
(445 Articles Published)