Abu Dhabi GP report says Michael Masi made mistake, but acted in 'good faith'

play

The finish of last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was controversial, but the former race director Michael Masi acted in good faith.

A report into the final laps of the race was presented to the World Motor Sport Council on Saturday, which concluded that the championship was valid and cannot be changed.

Masi applied the safety car procedure at the end of the title decider between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. The race finishing behind the safety car was prevented by his actions, which set up a one-lap sprint finish that helped Verstappen catch and pass Hamilton on the final lap.

The communications to the cars to unlap themselves before the restart were not in line with the rules.

The message was only displayed to the five cars between Hamilton and Verstappen. The messages to the cars were sent manually rather than by an automated system, according to the WMSC.

When several teams and drivers believed at the time that all cars would be allowed to overtake, it was not communicated.

Verstappen was able to pass Hamilton for the lead on the final lap and win the title because Masi started the race a lap earlier than the rules say.

Pressure from teams via radio communications as well as a desire to comply with an informal agreement within the sport were cited as reasons for Masi's actions.

The rules regarding the safety car restart procedure should be clarified.

Masi was removed from the position of race director and the FIA promised to provide more support to his replacements, including a Video Assistant Referee-style review system.

All unlapped cars must unlap themselves before a race can resume, rather than any, according to new rules.

Due to the fact that manual interventions tend to carry a higher risk of human error, the WMSC has developed software to automate the messages to cars to unlap themselves prior to a safety car restart.