The FIA has confirmed that Michael Masi has been removed as Formula 1 race director. His removal is in connection with what happened at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last December and the controversy surrounding it. Radio messages have emerged showing communication between Red Bull and Masi, just before the race was halted. Before then, Lewis Hamilton was leading the race and looked set to win it. After the restart, Verstappen was able to gain the lead and win the race.

On Thursday, FIA President, Mohammed ben Sulayem announced Masi’s removal, along with other changes. Niels Wittich, former DTM race director, and Eduardo Freitas, WEC race director would take turns as F1’s new race director. Masi is not done with the FIA as he has been offered a new role already.

Another major change that was announced is the cancellation of direct messages between the teams and the race director. To this effect, teams would no longer be able to send radio messages to the race director or vice versa. This change is in place to prevent a repeat of what happened in Abu Dhabi.

A new Virtual Race Control Room would also be created. This control room would have an effect on racing similar to what a video assistant referee (VAR) does for football.

These changes might mean that we would get a better season this year. The FIA is doing its best to address issues that proved controversial last season and to ensure that errors are reduced to the barest minimum this season.

But the really big news here is that these changes might just be enough for Hamilton to make the decision to return to the sport. After the events at Abu Dhabi, Hamilton had said that he would not return to racing unless he sees how the FIA handles the whole Abu Dhabi controversy. Removing Masi as director and eliminating communication between teams and race director seem like the right step to take.

Written by: Leon Osamor