FIA race director Masi’s position is under intense scrutiny after he did not apply thꦉe rules corr🅰ectly during a late Safety Car period in the 2021 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. 

Masi’s contentious decision-making resulted in Lewis Hamilton losing the championship to Max Verstappen and hꦑas led to an FIA investigation after F1’s governing body admitted the events of the final laps of the Abu Dhabi finale were “tarnishing the image of the championship”. 

Amid concerns abou꧑t F1’s♛ integrity and mounting speculation surrounding Masi’s future, former F1 driver turned commentator Brundle believes the FIA faces a dilemma that is far from straightforward. 

“If the FIA and F1 want Michael Masi to stay, and if Michael Masi wants to stay, he's clearly only got one life left. So I don't know if th🌃at's tenable all-round,” Brundle said on a special edition of Sky Sports📖’ The F1 Show. 

"Who would you replace him wi♒th? Be careful what you wish for, I w𒐪ould say in this.

“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, in a 23-⛄race season, it's only going to grow.

"Back 🌳in the🐟 day with 16-18 races for Charlie [Whiting] and Herbie [Blash]. Charlie used to start the race and Herbie was effectively the race director until Charlie got back from the starting rostrum down near the grid.

"They had it all under c🐲ontrol, but it's just growing exponentially so Masi if he stays needs a lot of support around him and I suspect that's what they're looking at, at the moment.

"And who would actually want to step in✨to his shoes right now?”

The fallout from Abu Dhabi left Hamilton “disillusioned” with F1, according to his Mercedes boss Toto Wolಌff. 

Reports emerging earlier this week claimed Hamiꦫlton will not decide whether to return to F1 this season until he sees the results of the FIA inquiry, with insiders telling the💫 BBC that the seven-time world champion has lost trust in the governing body. 

Fellow Sky Sports pundit Johnny Herbert believes👍 Masi’s decision😼-making has “done too much damage” to F1 and leaves his position untenable. 

"T🔯he position that he's in, you've got to have trus♔t,” the three-time grand prix winner said. “And I think that trust has completely and utterly evaporated.

"The problem is who do you replace him w𓄧ith? Bꦅecause obviously experience is going to be very important for the man who slots into that position.

"Michael was very fortunate, he was underneath Charlie Whiting when Charlie was head of it and he learned a lo🥂t of good things from that point of view.

"Is there anybody that stands out for me at the moment to replace him? No, a⛄nd tha🏅t is the conundrum."