78% of F1 fans want Masi to be fired after Abu Dhabi controversy

Michael Masi is set to stay on as race director in 2022 despite reports of Mercedes agreeing a deal with the FIA that will result in his departure.

78.3 percent of Formula 1 fans believe that the FIA should fire race director Michael Masi following his handling of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and last season as a whole.

That’s according to a poll of just over 4,000 readers of Formula1News.co.uk, which asked: “Should the FIA fire Michael Masi as a result of his handling of the 2021 AbuDhabiGP?”

The three-day Twitter poll was conducted earlier this week, hot on the heels of reports that Mercedes had agreed a deal with the FIA that will result in Masi being sacked ahead of the 2022 season.

In exchange, Mercedes agreed to withdraw their intention to appeal the result of the season finale and the 2021 championship, it was alleged.

READ: Brown admits McLaren could ditch Mercedes for VW power units

The Silver Arrows, however, reportedly denied that any such agreement with the FIA had been reached.

In addition to voting, dozens of social media users took to the comments to justify why they think Masi should or shouldn’t be axed after the highly controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Toto Wolff doesn't want Michael Masi to be fired after Abu Dhabi GP controversy.v1

One fan said he believes that the Australian’s credibility has been damaged beyond repair, and said he should therefore take on a different role at the FIA.

“I would give him a different role, he has done well on areas such as safety. I think his credibility in that job is too damaged, not just last race but some of the way things were managed in other races. I’d also put in a full review of the race director/stewarding approach.”

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Another user claimed that Formula 1 “is no longer a sport, it has been turned into a circus by crass disregard of the rules governing the sport.

“It’s now all about money, glitz, sponsorship and marketing. Sacking one individual won’t redeem grand prix motoring. Review the rules, regulations, and governance.”

A third said that Masi should be axed due to “constant poor decisions throughout the year,” not just because of his handling of the ending of the season finale.

READ: Ex-F1 driver warns Masi decision may have poured ‘big jug of water’ over Hamilton’s raging fire

Others accused Masi of “trashing” the sport’s reputation and engineering a “fix” in favour of Max Verstappen.

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