Masi gets unexpected support: 'FIA didn't have to replace him'

Damon Hill believes that Michael Masi did not need to be removed from his position as race director. According to the former Formula One driver, the FIA could have achieved the desired effect by making changes to the way the race management is carried out.

In the aftermath of his resignation as race director at the FIA, Masi can count on the necessary expressions of support. Max Verstappen, for example, called the FIA's decision 'unfair' and stated that the organization had made it under pressure. He also said that he had contacted the Australian, who appreciated the gesture.

Hill, who criticized the handling of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, believes that the FIA could have handled it better. He therefore questions whether Masi really should have been sacrificed.

"I feel sorry for the man," he says in the F1 Nation podcast. He stresses that several drivers have said that he did a good job under difficult circumstances. According to him, the problem does not lie with Masi, but with the structure of the race management and the way he was expected to work.

According to Hill, a tightening of the regulations might have been enough to quell the controversy. "I think during the season we could clearly see that there was confusion in decision making and pressure from some of the team bosses," the 1996 world champion observes. "If they fix that, I'm not sure they had to fire Michael."