What is Michael Masi's role as F1 race director? When did he take over the job?

Michael Masi is the name that Formula 1 fans will remember forever due to his controversial decision which led to Max Verstappen winning his maiden F1 Drivers World Championship title. Before the final lap of the Abu Dhabi GP got underway, Masi had first stated that lapped cars would be permitted to overtake the safety car which was out after Nicolas Latifi crashed his car.

However, the race director changed the decision a few seconds after to ensure that the last lap resumed. While Michael Masi has been receiving backlash from all corners over Abu Dhabi GP fiasco, we take a look at his regime and what exactly is his responsibility as a race director. 

Who is Michael Masi and what is his role during a Formula one race?

Michael Masi is the F1 race director, which means he acts as a referee on Grand Prix weekends and oversees the safe running of track activities. His role is to inspect the race circuits and pass them fit to be used for race. He is also closely involved in the writing of the FIA F1 sporting regulations.

Apart from checking the tracks, Masi is in direct charge of other sections of the race, which includes stopping races with a red flag, the use of safety cars and virtual safety cars, and the use of black and white warning flags. He also makes calls on issues such as how track limits are monitored at each circuit.

When a driver is penalised, Michael Masi will not play the role of punishing the driver but it will be race stewards who he will help by referring an incident to them. The stewards decide whether it is worthy of investigation, and conduct a full investigation if necessary. If they deem that an offence has been committed, they confirm penalty if any. After each race, Masi reviews the weekend’s activities and makes suggestions for possible improvements.

Michael Masi's tenure as F1 race director

Before being appointed as a full-time F1 race director, Michael Masi started his career as a deputy to legendary F1 Race Director Charlie Whiting. 

When Whiting was at the helm, he had asked Michael Masi and Formula E Race Director Scott Elkins to share the job of deputy in 2018. Having worked at nine races in 2018, Masi then continued as Formula One deputy for the same number of races during the 2019 season, and was also the permanent deputy director for F2 and F3 races.

After the passing of Whiting during the first race of the 2019 season in Australia, Masi stepped in to cover the main role for the Melbourne race, following which he was retained for the same job, for the rest of that year. It was in January last year that Michael Masi was officially given the job on a full-time basis.