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McLaren's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Brown has hit out at F1 team bosses for their "over-excited" lobbying of race director Michael Masi in 2021.
The American held back no punches in a heavy-hitting column on McLaren's official website, blasting his F1 rivals for what he has called "auditioning for a pantomime" during the recently-concluded season.
Brown's primary displeasure was with the fact that teams presently wield too much power in the sport. The American hopes the situation will change with the arrival of new FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
This is what Brown wrote about the current state of F1 and its rules and regulations:
"It is clear that some of the rules and their governance are not acceptable as things stand. No one is happy with the inconsistency in the policing of the regulations, but which has been habitually exploited by teams for competitive advantage. I have said before that the teams have too much power and it needs to be reduced. We have a significant role in the drafting of the regulations and governance of Formula 1 and that influence is not always driven by what is best overall for the sport."
The controversial end to the 2021 season saw Max Verstappen clinch his maiden world title at the expense of Lewis Hamilton's eighth. Commenting on the way the finale unfolded, Brown said:
"It is the teams who applied the pressure to avoid finishing races under a Safety Car at all costs. It is the teams who voted for many of the regulations they have complained about. It is the teams who have been using the broadcasting of radio messages to the race director to try to influence penalties and race outcomes, to the point where an over-excited team principal plays to the gallery and pressurizes race officials. This has not been edifying for F1. At times, it’s felt like a pantomime audition rather than the pinnacle of a global sport."
Brown's harsh assessment could lead to the FIA making widespread changes to the protocol currently in place in the sport. F1 managing director Ross Brawn has already said he would like to scrap the communication lines between team bosses and the race director. Meanwhile, former FIA president Jean Todt has called the sport "too permissive" with internal critics and criticism.
Replacing Michael Masi won't fix the problem, claim F1 pundits
The removal and subsequent replacement of race director Michael Masi will address the issues plaguing the sport, according to F1 pundits Johnny Herbert, Damon Hill and Martin Brundle. The British trio of former F1 drivers have all gone on to become analysts.
While discussing Masi's future in the sport, Brundle said:
“What I absolutely know for sure is that changing Michael Masi will not fix the problem. This is way too big a job for one person, to handle 23 races, and its only going to grow. We are all over the world. Back in the day, there were 16-18 races for Charlie and Herbie. But it is just growing exponentially. So Masi, if he stays, needs a lot of support around him, and I suspect that's what they are looking at.”
This opinion was backed by 1996 world champion Damon Hill as well, who feels Masi needs a team to handle these responsibilities together.
