01/12/2023
NEWS STORY
FIA president, Mohammed ben Sulayem has admitted that controversial race director Michael Masi could return.
The Australian was dropped as F1 race director in the wake of the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix of 2021, blamed by many for one of the most controversial decisions in sporting history.
While the subsequent investigation didn't name him personally, instead opting for "human error", Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton and millions of F1 fans did.
Masi has never told his side of the saga and heading back down under, where he has been involved in Supercars and Karting, would only reveal that in the wake of the Abu Dhabi controversy he suffered mental health issues as ressult of the abuse he was subjected to.
Ben Sulayem was elected president of the FIA just days after the race and speaking to PA Sports has admitted that Masi could yet return to the FIA fold.
"I always apologise, but I cannot apologise for something which was done before my time," he said.
"OK, I will do the apology, but I will bring Michael Masi again. Do you think that is right? The poor guy is a person who has been attacked and abused. Michael Masi went through hell. Hell! And if I see there is an opportunity that the FIA needs, and Michael Masi is the right person, I will bring him."
While at Pitpass we have always believed that as opposed to being biased against Hamilton and Mercedes, Masi was acting on orders from above, nonetheless we are still puzzled by ben Sulayem's subsequent football analogy in terms of what happened that night in December 2021.
"I had people threatening to kill me because I had the power to change it," he said of the Abu Dhabi result. "But I said to them: 'Sorry, the World Cup of 1966, England against Germany, was that correct? Did they change it? No. Did they give it to Germany? Nein.'"
If we're talking England and World Cups, perhaps ben Sulayem should watch the infamous quarter final game with Argentina of 1986.