Formula 1 fans have made their feelings clear to former FIA race director Michael Masi by urging the Australian chief not to return to the sport, according to a new poll. Masi played a huge role in orchestrating one of the biggest sporting controversies in the history of motorsport after denying Lewis Hamilton the title in 2021, with Max Verstappen triumphing on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and F1 fans are keen to him to steer clear of a possible return.
In an exclusive new poll conducted by Express Sport, readers were asked to give their view on whether Masi should be welcomed back into the paddock after he was recently seen at the Australian Grand Prix, sparking speculation of a shock return.
However, the public have been clear in their opposition to the 44-year-old making his way back to F1 after 5,272 readers participated, with a huge 68 per cent insisting they do not want Masi to return to the sport.
The Australian left his role as race director before the 2022 season and was replaced by Nils Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, with Wittich handed sole responsibility for the role this year. Masi, meanwhile, joined the Australian Karting board in December 2022 after spending some time with his family, with the former F1 chief horifically subjected to death threats and abuse following the incident.
In a clear show of support for Hamilton, who felt the result was “manipulated” in Verstappen’s favour after the Red Bull star pulled off a last-lap overtake on the Mercedes star following the safety car restart, fans also believe the Briton should be awarded what would be a record eighth title.
When asked if the result of 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix should be overturned, 67 per cent of readers agreed that the Mercedes star should be retrospectively handed victory – some 17 months after the Yas Marina scandal.
If that were to happen, Hamilton would be crowned the 2021 champion and would snatch his eighth title from Verstappen, making him F1’s most-decorated driver in history. A new petition demanding the FIA crown Hamilton as the race winner has also gathered massive public support, with over 108,000 signatures on Change.org.
Mercedes threatened legal action after lodging an appeal to the FIA to review the procedural errors from Masi, who did not follow the correct regulations for instructing cars to overtake the safety car in order to ensure there was one lap of racing.
It was later communicated to the team that a “human error” had taken place, although the FIA report insisted Masi acted in “good faith”, and Mercedes decided to withdraw their opposition after receiving an apology.
Readers have tipped George Russell to carry the torch if Hamilton or Verstappen were to win the title. A huge 49 per cent of respondents backed the Kings Lynn-born racer to pip the likes of Fernando Alonso and Charles Leclerc to the crown, with Lando Norris handed just a four per cent share of the vote despite his links with Red Bull.
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