- Inquiry into finale says Michael Masi acted in ‘good faith’
- Result which gave Max Verstappen title ‘cannot be changed’
The FIA has published its inquiry into the controversial finale to the 2021 Formula One season in Abu Dhabi, concluding that the decisions made as race director by Michael Masi which denied Lewis Hamilton the championship were made in “good faith” but that “human error” played a part. It also confirmed the result of the race, which Max Verstappen won to claim the title, stands and that the governing body considers the matter closed.
The report is unlikely to satisfy the many people who are deeply unhappy about how the race was handled. It acknowledged that discussions with teams, F1 and drivers had concluded that they had a preference to try to avoid ending races behind the safety car and that in trying to do so in Abu Dhabi “Masi was acting in good faith and to the best of his knowledge given the difficult circumstances”. This was the case, furthermore, “particularly acknowledging the significant time constraints for decisions to be made and the immense pressure being applied by the teams”. However, Masi has since been removed from his post.