Former F1 race director Michael Masi is set to take on a new role in motorsport after losing his job in the pinnacle of motorsport.
Masi was ousted following the highly controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after a questionable decision he made in the dying laps of the season finale ultimately cost Sir Lewis Hamilton that year’s Drivers’ Championship.
It has previously been reported that Mercedes pressured the FIA to fire Masi, and an investigation by the governing body later revealed that the Australian made a “human error” in the UAE capital.
Despite this, FIA President Mohammed ben Sulayem suggested that he was open to working with Masi in some capacity, with some suggesting he could eventually return as Formula 1’s race director.
READ: ‘We are constantly criticised’: Helmut Marko lashes out at critics
However, it is now being reported that the 44-year-old is set to take on a new role as the chairman of Australia’s V8 Supercars Championship.
Earlier, Masi opened up on the abuse he received in the wake of the controversy at the 2021 season finale.
Specifically, he revealed that he received racist abuse from Hamilton fans and even a number of death threats targeted at him and his family.
“There were some dark days. And absolutely, I felt like I was the most hated man in the world. I got death threats. People saying, they were going to come after me and my family,” he said.
“They were shocking. Racist, abusive, vile, they called me every name under the sun. And they kept on coming.
“Not just on my Facebook but also on my LinkedIn, which is supposed to be a professional platform for business. It was the same type of abuse.”
READ: Double F1 world champion happy that Max Verstappen proved him wrong
Despite the controversial manner in which the 2021 title fight was decided, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently said he believes Max Verstappen deserved his maiden F1 crown.
However, the Austrian emphasised that he still thinks about the injustice that took place on a daily basis.
“I think about it every day,” he said.
“But I accepted that Max won the championship, because he is a champion who deserves what he got.”