Mercedes and Red Bull criticised by FIA for "negative impact" radio messages on under-pressure Masi
Mercedes and Red Bull criticised by FIA for "negative impact" radio messages on under-pressure Masi
Mercedes and Red Bull have been criticised by the FIA in a report to the World Motor Sport Council for what it has claimed were "distracting" radio messages that added to the pressure on race director Michael Masi at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
World motorsport's governing body has released its executive summary, the purpose of which has been designed "to draw any lessons" from what unfolded in last year's contentious season finale and to provide "clarity...to the participants, media, and fans about the current regulations to preserve the competitive nature of our sport while ensuring the safety of the drivers and officials".
Part of its findings has focused on the radio communications between the F1 teams and Masi as it was alleged undue influence was applied by Red Bull, in particular, while Toto Wolff also took to the system to voice his anger.
After detailing the radio exchanges between Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and team manager Jonathan Wheatley to Masi, and those from Wolff, the FIA has felt its now-former race director was unduly pressurised.
The report states that "much of the debate centred around the purpose and appropriateness of those communications and whether in‐race communications between the F1 teams and the race director should be broadcasted or even permitted at all.
"The consensus of those involved in the detailed analysis and clarification exercise was that the respective communications to the race director by the Red Bull Racing and Mercedes team principals during the final laps of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP had a negative impact on the smooth running of the final laps because they were distracting when the race director needed to focus on making difficult and time‐pressured decisions."
Given Masi was trying to manage the situation on track following Nicholas Latifi's crash and the subsequent deployment of the safety car, the report found the communications "were neither necessary nor helpful to the smooth running of the race".
It added: "The consensus was that they add pressure to the race director at a critical time...and might seek to influence [whether directly or indirectly, or intentionally or unintentionally] the decisions made by the race director".
It concluded that "communications between [on one hand] F1 teams and [on the other hand] the race director during a race ought to be restricted so that the race director would be free to perform his/her crucial role without unnecessary disruption and distractions".
As part of the FIA's decisions, it has since ruled such communications are no longer permissible.
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 manager reveals Piastri 'balance' challenge
- 55 minutes ago
EXCLUSIVE: Hamilton engineer reveals top drivers' key characteristic
- 1 hour ago
Red Bull now pressured into MISTAKES insists F1 rivals as title race heats up
- 2 hours ago
F1 News Today: Vettel CONFIRMS stunning comeback as Red Bull boss issues Verstappen statement
- 3 hours ago
F1 fan celebrates Verstappen failure with OUTRAGEOUS permanent change
- 3 hours ago
Wolff opens up on WHY Mercedes are 'very bad'
- Today 09:55
F1 Race Calendar
-
GP BAHRAIN
29 Feb - 2 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP SAUDI ARABIA
7 - 9 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP AUSTRALIA
22 - 24 Mar
Carlos Sainz
- GP JAPAN 5 - 7 Apr
- GP CHINA 19 - 21 Apr
- GP USA 3 - 6 May
- GP ITALY 17 - 19 May
- GP MONACO 24 - 26 May
Related news
Red Bull now pressured into MISTAKES insists F1 rivals as title race heats up
Wolff opens up on WHY Mercedes are 'very bad'
Marko DIRECTLY addresses Verstappen quit rumours
Top manufacturer takes HUGE step towards F1 return
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