FIA concludes ‘human error’ played a role in the race call that cost Hamilton his eighth Formula 1 championship.
- A lengthy report released by the FIA this past weekend in Bahrain said that race director Michael Masi acted in “good faith” in making his call at Abu Dhabi.
- However, the FIA added that “human error” played a role in the late call for a safety car period that set up a one-lap shootout for the race win that decided the 2021 championship.
- Masi has been removed from his role as F1 race director.
The FIA has concluded that seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was a victim of “human error” at last year’s season-ending Formula 1 Abu Dhab Grand Prix.
Read the full report here. PRINTABLE PDF
A lengthy report released this past weekend in Bahrain said that race director Michael Masi acted in “good faith,” but added that “human error” played a role in the late call for a safety car period that set up a one-lap shootout for the race win and the 2021 F1 championship.”To be honest, I didn’t look at (the report). I might read it after the weekend,” Hamilton said in Bahrain. “But I wasn’t expecting an apology—that’s not something I focus on. It is what it is and at least it says it was human error, that’s a positive step.”
“Unfortunately, we cannot turn back the clock and change the past.”
The FIA report concluded in part that:
The results of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the FIA Formula One World Championship are valid, final and cannot now be changed. In accordance with the rules, Mercedes made a protest to the stewards after the race, seeking to change the race classification. The stewards dismissed the protest and Mercedes then had an opportunity to appeal that decision to the FIA International Court of Appeal, but did not do so. There are no other available mechanisms in the rules for amending the race classification.
The process of identifying lapped cars has up until now been a manual one and human error lead to the fact that not all cars were allowed to un-lap themselves. Due to the fact that manual interventions generally carry a higher risk of human error, software has been developed that will, from now on, automate the communication of the list of cars that must un-lap themselves. In addition, the 2022 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations have been recently updated to clarify that “all” and not “any” cars must be permitted to un-lap themselves.
This process of identifying lapped cars has been reviewed as part of the recommendations previously announced by the FIA President in his statement of 17 February 2022, which also includes the creation of FIA Remote Operations Centre, the integration of a new and extended team to run trackside operations as well as a review of the interactions between teams and Race Control during track running.
New FIA president Muhammed ben Sulayem said that Masi has since been removed as F1 race director to “take the stress of him.
“We believe that all the duties of the race director cannot be performed by only one person. We are talking about 23 races and constant travel. All of this leads to severe fatigue, so we came up with such a solution.”
Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich will alternate as Formula 1 race directors in 2022. Freitas was previously race director in the FIA’s World Endurance Championship, while Wittich has been the race director in the Germany-based DTM sports car categories.
Masi will remain with the FIA in a different role that has not yet been announced.
Freitas and Wittich will be supported by Herbie Blash, who until 2016 was the deputy to long-term race director Charlie Whiting, whose death at age 66 on the eve of the 2019 season left Formula 1 without a race director.
Keyword: Read the Full Report Here: No Apologies to Hamilton for F1 Abu Dhabi GP Debacle