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FIA aware of leaked messages showing Masi doing EXACTLY what Red Bull asked as Lewis Hamilton lost title to Verstappen

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RED BULL have been dragged into a fresh row over Max Verstappen’s controversial F1 title win.

Lewis Hamilton’s army of fans reacted with renewed fury after the race conversation between Red Bull’s sporting director Jonathan Wheatley and F1 race director Michael Masi emerged on Wednesday.

Michael Masi’s position as F1 race director is growing under increasing pressureCredit: Getty
Red Bull influenced Masi’s decision to let the lapped cars overtake Lewis HamiltonCredit: Getty

The FIA governing body are investigating Masi’s actions during the final race of last season in Abu Dhabi when he failed to follow safety car rules — resulting in Verstappen beating Hamilton to the title.

Wheatley is heard telling Masi: “Those lapped cars — you don’t need to let them go right the way around and catch up with the back of the pack.

“You only need to let them go and then we’ve got a motor race on our hands.”

Masi replies: “Understood.” He then follows the suggestion.

To add insult to injury for disgruntled Mercedes, after their boss Toto Wolff complained about the result, he said: “Toto, it’s called a motor race, OK?”

The FIA has access to all radio communication from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and will release their findings at a meeting of the F1 commission next Monday.

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According to the BBC, figures within the FIA understand Masi failed to follow his own rules correctly and that resulted in Verstappen snatching the title.

And there is said to be a growing belief that such a mishap makes Masi’s positon as race director untenable.

Meanwhile, Red Bull have launched their car and title sponsor Oracle, who are understood to be paying the team £369million over five years.

Verstappen warmed up for pre-season testing in Barcelona earlier this month by hitting the slopes in his F1 motor.

He took on former European ice speedway champion Franky Zorn in an exhibition race held at Zell am See in Austria.

Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk

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