The FIA, the motorsport
governing body, said it is aware of the radio messages from the Abu Dhabi Grand
Prix that have sparked a controversy about last year’s title decider. The
messages are viewed as further proof of race director Michael Masi reacting to
Red Bull’s suggestions as to how to end a safety-car period.

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“We are aware of this
and it is part of the investigation,” a spokesperson of the FIA said.

In the radio messages, Red
Bull sporting director Jonathan Wheatley is heard saying Masi on how to deal
with lapped cars that are on track between the leaders as he attempts to
organise a restart before the laps run out.

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At the time, Red Bull’s Max
Verstappen was on wheels on new tyres behind Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton on
old rubber, which meant that if the race was resumed Verstappen would have a
huge advantage and would likely win the race and championship.

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“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,” said Wheatley.

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After the race, Mercedes
team principal Toto Wolff gets on the radio to tell Masi that what he has done
is “not right”. “Toto, it’s called a motor race, OK?” Masi retorted.

The radio transmissions are
not new – they were on a video released by Formula 1 on 16 December, four days
after the race – but the one from Wheatley appears to have missed general
circulation in the storm that followed.

Also Read: Mercedes drops appeal against F1 Abu Dhabi final result

Masi breached rules

It is widely acknowledged
within the F1 fraternity that Masi failed to follow the rules correctly in Abu
Dhabi and that in doing so he had a direct effect on the outcome of the world
championship. The FIA inquiry was set up to analyse how the mistakes at Abu
Dhabi were made, and to put in place protocols to try to prevent them from
happening again.

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It must be noted that the
FIA has access to all team radio from Abu Dhabi for the inquiry they are
conducting into the race.

And the outcome could have
significant consequences – Hamilton, who lost the championship in the
controversial ending of the race, will not decide whether to return to F1 this
year until he has seen the results of the FIA inquiry.