FIA "has no authority to instruct teams" after controversial Red Bull deal
FIA "has no authority to instruct teams" after controversial Red Bull deal
FIA race director Micahel Masi has revealed he has "no authority to instruct teams" after agreeing to a controversial deal with Red Bull at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
In the first of a number of incidents between the title rivals in Jeddah, Max Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton off-track at the first chicane following the first race restart.
As the race was red flagged for a second time before the end of that lap, Masi got on the radio to Red Bull and offered the team to drop a place, positioning him behind Esteban Ocon yet ahead of Hamilton, as the cars sat in the pit lane.
Questioned on this, Masi corrected himself to confirm the Dutchman would be required to drop behind both Ocon and Hamilton.
Red Bull team manager Jonathan Wheatley twice requested time to consider the offer, one that would see Verstappen avoid further sanctions, before accepting the proposal.
Asked if this was normal procedure, Masi said: “It’s very much... I wouldn’t call it a deal.
"From a race director’s perspective, I have no authority to actually instruct the teams to do anything. In that situation, I can give them an offer, I have 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 is why I offered them the ability to give that position up.
“As a result of the red flag that came about with the incident at turn three, the priority in any red flag situation is A, to make sure that the drivers are safe and then B, to activate the recovery so the marshals can do so and clean the track and so forth.
“So it probably seemed a bit elongated compared to normal, however, it was very much a normal discussion that takes place."
Masi continued to reveal he had informed the stewards of his planned course of action before contacting the teams with his offer.
“I immediately... when I saw what happened at turn two, I immediately suggested to the stewards that I was going to give the team the ability to give that place back," Masi explained.
"The red flag obviously ensued very quickly thereafter and that was absolutely the priority before we got going again.
“Being under a suspension, there was the ability to effectively correct that before we went racing again.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Verstappen admits Red Bull 'DESERVED' horror China qualifying
- 10 minutes ago
F1 News Today: Verstappen suffers MAJOR China defeat as F1 star LOSES pole after FIA intervention
- 37 minutes ago
FIA announce crucial top three UPDATE in China after investigating F1 star
- 1 hour ago
Hamilton DELIGHTED with Mercedes pace after China masterclass - Top three verdict
- 2 hours ago
F1 sprint races: How do they work and what are the changes for 2024?
- 2 hours ago
- 6
EXCLUSIVE: 'Sports should be above' politics claims F1 icon
- 3 hours ago
Related news
Red Bull F1 stars offer contrasting F1 advice to next generation
F1 pundit details GLARING Mercedes issue
Bearman reveals F1 LEGEND 'message' sent to him before Ferrari debut
Hamilton hug with Bearman and Tsunoda BLANKS Sky presenter – FIVE things you may have missed at the Saudi Arabian GP
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860