In Formula 1, the effects of the new regulations that come into effect this season (limited budgets, modified aerodynamics of the car) are still unknown ahead of the first Grand Prix on Sunday 20 March in Bahrain. But one thing seems for sure: all this will not diminish the rivalry between the new world champion, Dutchman Max Verstappen, and former British champion Lewis Hamilton.
Last year, the two drivers engaged in a fierce battle at the wheel of their Red Bull and Mercedes that culminated on the final lap of the last Grand Prix, in Abu Dhabi in mid-December, during an unexpected result.
This rivalry extended off the track and centered around one man: Australian Michael Massey, race director for all Grand Prix races. Deposed king, Lewis Hamilton felt cheated by the latter’s decision in Abu Dhabi: After an accident, six laps from the finish, Massey decided to take out the safety car earlier than planned and re-start on the last lap and a final duel between Hamilton and Verstappen.
talking about “The Manipulated Race”, The Briton, backed by his powerful team, threw all his weight – seven titles, 27 million followers on Instagram, eight million followers on Twitter – to ensure the Australian moved ahead. He has gone so far as to link his fate in F1 with the fate of the man he considers responsible for his failure. Win the case.
After an investigation by the International Automobile Federation (FIA), which The report has just been published Its president, Mohamed Ben Sulayem, announced, on Saturday, March 19, the replacement of Michael Massi with a duo made up of Portuguese Eduardo Freitas and German Nils Fitich.
“That wasn’t right”
During pre-season testing in Barcelona at the end of February, we witnessed an additional episode of this struggle for influence. Lewis Hamilton talked about the need to own “Unbiased Race Guardians” He stated, without providing evidence, that some pilots “Very good friends” with curators and “Travel together”. Although Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has softened his driver’s comments – “I don’t think there is prejudice” -, The response was not long in coming.
“For me, what happened to Michael is very unfair, he was really fired, Max Verstappen criticized. The fact that they fired him is really amazing. I really feel sorry for him. Because I think he was a very capable race director. » His stablemate, Christian Horner, drove home the point in an interview with the BBC on March 7: “Was it fair to dismiss him because of the pressure put on him by an opposing team? For me, it wasn’t right”British down.
If Michael Massey is a victim of issues beyond him, the fact remains that refereeing in F1 leads to a real misunderstanding. The fierce battle for the world title in 2021 – marked throughout the season by several clashes for which a decision had to be made – was a revelation.
In the introduction to the confrontation, Pierre Gasly found that some provisions “Inconsistency”. “At one point in the season, we no longer know what was authorized or notThe French pilot explains. In some cases we got away with it, in other similar cases we got a penalty. »
“Everyone has a responsibility”
To strive for more consistency, the FIA has introduced two changes in terms of refereeing this season. A virtual race control room has been created on the football video referee model. Race directors should be allowed to focus on immediate safety issues while rule violations will be judged from a distance.
It was also decided to cancel the live broadcast of radio communications between the team managers and the race director. An astonishing component of the F1 Grands Prix, but problematic, as we saw in Abu Dhabi: talks between Red Bull, Mercedes and Michael Masi managers, which preceded the decision to restart the race to a final turn, contributed to the controversy.
“It was like listening to a guy trying to land a plane with the co-pilot and navigator giving him different instructions, Former British world champion Damon Hill plans. This can only hinder his ability to make the right decision.. »
According to him, this system “It was created for entertainment which was one of the contributing factors to this chaotic ending”demonstrates F1’s desire to evolve towards something more exciting than ever. “For some time now, the FIA has not piloted its own shipJudged. You have outsourced control of a business entity [Liberty Media] Who wants to entertain and increase revenue and not necessarily put sporting integrity first. »
However, this orientation is validated by the actors themselves. This reinforces the perception of Michael Massey as a scapegoat. “The problem is not the individual, but the instructions he received. However, if they consist in doing everything to make the race exciting and have it validated by the teams, everyone has a responsibility., considers Damon Hill. So it’s hard to complain about it when the elements are in conflict.
