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Michael Masi remains an important figure within the FIA as negotiations into his role within motorsport’s world governing body continue.
The Australian was removed from his position as Formula 1 race director in the wake of last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
A report published by the FIA yesterday following an investigation into the climax of that event noted “human error” as one of its key findings.
However, it also acknowledged a significant number of mitigating factors including the heavy workload Masi had, the time pressures he was under in Race Control, interference from teams over the radio, and archaic manual systems to manage the race.
Niels Wittich is this weekend stepping into the role of race director, a position he’ll share with Eduardo Freitas throughout 2022, with deep support from personnel and systems that were unavailable previously.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has revealed that negotiations are now ongoing with Masi to determine where he can fit into the governing body.
“We are grateful of the three years that he invested with us and he put his time in,” Ben Sulayem said.
“We are negotiating with him, of course to stay in the FIA. He’s an important figure to us.
“So our people are negotiating other, I would say not a job, but another place for him within the FIA.”
Masi has remained silent since the end of the 2021 Formula 1 season, and was not interviewed by the FIA as it analysed the Abu Dhabi race in order to generate its report.
While some have been vocal in their criticism, and most of that coming from fans, Masi has garnered a great deal of support within both the F1 paddock and broader motorsport industry.
Motorsport Australia boss Eugene Arocca has previously told Speedcafe.com that he be welcomed back should he decide to return to Australia.
It is therefore expected that he’ll have his choice of roles when it comes to his next move.
