Red Bull claim they have “more advanced” tools than F1 race director Michael Masi

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has revealed the Milton Keynes-based outfit has ‘more advanced’ tools than Race Director Michael Masi.

Horner believes F1 needs to provide the Race Director and stewards with a stronger support system to be able to manage things better.

The Red Bull boss spoke to Sky Sports at the Autosport awards where he discussed the controversial end to the 2021 season. He said:

“The new [FIA] President [Mohammed Ben Sulayem] has put a key focus on this and I think there’s a big drive to make sure that the Race Director has better support. The tools that we [the teams] have at our disposal are far in advance of that of Michael [Masi] and his team, so I think there’s been a lot of focus on that over the winter. I think you’ll see that role better supported, which will hopefully enable decisions to be easier and swifter, but I think we also need to look at the regulations to simplify some of those as well.”

Masi has been under fire ever since the end of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. His decision-making in the final laps of the race had a huge impact in deciding the outcome of the world championship in Max Verstappen’s favor.

The FIA is currently conducting an internal investigation into the matter. Reports suggest Masi could end up becoming a ‘sacrificial lamb’ for the slaughter when the results are revealed.

Red Bull seeking consistency from FIA post-Abu Dhabi investigation

Red Bull’s sporting director Jonathan Wheatley feels the FIA must clarify the principles of racing and the regulations for all drivers and teams going forward from the Abu Dhabi investigation.

Wheatley was in conversation on The Jack Threlfall Show when he said:

“It’s really important the FIA do their investigation, work with the teams on that investigation and we all follow whatever the outcome of that investigation is… If we look broad brush at race direction and the very difficult role the race director and the stewards have – and it is difficult – and we talk about the consistency of stewards’ decisions, consistency across the board… Of course, we would all love it to be very clear.”

Both Red Bull and Mercedes had their own qualms with the interpretation and implementation of rules at different stages of the season. Wheatley went on to add, saying:

“I think these are the areas of the sport that need to come from the very top. The World Motor Sport Council need to say ‘here are the principles by which we are going racing’ and then it’s up to the FIA and the teams to work together to ensure a consistent set of sporting regulations.”

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Meanwhile, Red Bull plans to unveil their 2022 car, the RB18, on February 9.