Sir Lewis Hamilton has posted a cryptic message on social media just a handful of hours after it was announced that Michael Masi won’t continue to serve as race director in 2022.
Fans of the Briton have been calling for Masi to get sacked ever since the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The race director sparked controversy in the final laps of the season finale, with him allowing only the five lapped cars between Hamilton and Max Verstappen to overtake the Safety Car, after initially ruling that no lapped cars would be allowed to do so.
This decision helped Verstappen win the 2021 Drivers’ Championship, as it put him right on the back of Hamilton and allowed him to make use of his tyre advantage to overtake the Mercedes driver into Turn Five.
Masi’s departure was announced by FIA President Mohammed ben Sulayem, who stressed that the Australian would be offered a different role within the organisation.
“I would like to inform you that a new race management team will be put in place starting in Barcelona for the test session,” the Emirati ex-racing driver said.
He added: “Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas will act alternatively as race director, assisted by Herbie Blash as permanent senior advisor.
“Michael Masi, who accomplished a very challenging job for three years as Formula 1 race director following Charlie Whiting, will be offered a new position within the FIA.
“I presented this complete plan to the members of the World Motor Sport Council and the Senate who gave their full support.”
Just a few hours after the news broke, Hamilton posted a cryptic message in an Instagram post.
He posted a picture of himself standing in a park holding an umbrella with a rainbow in the sky, captioned: “I’m good. You good?”
Following the highly contentious end to the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it had been speculated that the Briton was mulling his future in Formula 1 and was considering immediately retiring.
However, it now looks increasingly likely that Hamilton will race with Mercedes once again in 2022, as he hunts down his record-breaking eighth F1 title.