F1 News, Reports and Race Results

McLaren 'strongly disagrees' with Masi's yellow flag logic

McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl was at odds last weekend in Baku with F1 race director Michael Masi's decision not to investigate those drivers that had failed to slow at the scene of Max Verstappen's crash in the closing stages of the race.

McLaren singled out AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda who sped past the Red Bull driver's accident on the main straight despite the deployment of double waved flags that implicitly signify that a driver must reduce speed.

Seidl radioed Masi from the McLaren pit wall to convey his surprise that Tsunoda was not put under investigation for speeding, to which the F1 race director replied that in that case "the entire field should be penalised for not slowing under double yellows, in accordance with the regulations".

However, Seidl insisted, stating that the Tsunoda's infringement was "obvious".

"All of them are obvious," responded Masi who said that he would address the issue at next week's French Grand Prix drivers' briefing.

But Seidl was unhappy with Masi's leniency towards a situation that appeared to the McLaren boss as "obvious".

"From my point of view, things were happening out there today which were clearly not OK," Seidl said after the race.

"Also putting it into the context of what we got a penalty for, for example, yesterday [in qualifying] - but again that's all we can do, we can only report it.

"If the race director thinks there's no investigation required because everyone is doing it, which is something I strongly disagree with, you need to ask Michael Masi what he's after then."

Seidl wasn't the only one at Baku to have a bone of contention with race control, with several drivers baffled by the delay in sending out the safety car following Verstappen's crash which littered the track with debris.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc called the belated decision "a joke" and said he would put the issue on the table at next week's drivers' briefing.

While unsatisfied with last weekend's calls, Seidl considered Masi to be doing a "great job" overall as F1's race director.

"In general we are very happy with the job Michael is doing, which is a very difficult job," he said.

"But the most important thing from our side is transparency and consistency and a good dialogue which we usually have with him.

"Of course there are situations from time to time where you disagree. That's normal: we’re on the competitor side, he's on the FIA side.

"But I guess if you look back now the time since he took over, I think he did a great job."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

Recent Posts

Komatsu: F1 teams united against Audi 2026 cost-cap offset

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has revealed that nine Formula 1 teams stand in opposition…

58 mins ago

Las Vegas GP: Hamilton leads Mercedes 1-2 in trouble-free FP1

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell led the field in a chilly but trouble-free first practice…

2 hours ago

2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix Free Practice 1 - Results

Full results from Free Practice 1 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in the United…

2 hours ago

Aston Martin says performance shortfall led to Fallows exit

Aston Martin performance director Tom McCullough has shed some light on why the team’s former…

11 hours ago

FIA clamps down on plank loophole after Red Bull complaint

The FIA has issued a pivotal Technical Directive to F1 teams ahead of this weekend’s…

13 hours ago

F1 drivers blindsided by race director Wittich’s sudden exit

The abrupt removal last week of FIA race director Niels Wittich with just three races…

14 hours ago