A Formula 1 Grand Prix chief has suggested under-fire race director Michael Masi may have resigned from his role rather than having had it taken away from him ahead of the upcoming season.
Masi has been at the centre of a storm for the past two months, after making some dubious calls at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December.
His decision to bring out the safety car after Nicholas Latifi's crash is universally acknowledge as the correct one, even if it did make race leader Lewis Hamilton nervous as he lost his time buffer with just a few laps to go.
The controversy came during that yellow flag period, as at first he did not allow any lapped cars to move past the safety car, then changed his mind – but allowed only those between Hamilton and Max Verstappen in second to go.
That meant Verstappen, who has stopped for fresh soft tyres, was able to move right up behind Hamilton, who was on much older and more worn rubber.
It still would not have made a difference had the race been completed under those conditions, but Masi made the call to fast-track the safety car process and brought it in early so racing could resume for the final lap.
Hamilton was powerless to prevent his rival from overtaking due to a vast difference in grip and many fans were left furious, blaming Masi for what they felt was an unfair result in both the race and the championship.
As the anger still persists, from fans, Mercedes and Hamilton himself, the FIA has been forced into action with one step being the removal of Masi as race director.
Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas will now share the responsibility of that role, with veteran Herbie Blash brought back in to act as an adviser.
Other changes include the introduction of a VAR-style system to help them review big calls in real time, and the removal of direct in-race communication links between team bosses and the race directors.
In the wake of all those changes and the personal criticism Masi has received, Dutch Grand Prix sporting director Jan Lammers has suggested the Australian may have jumped rather than having been pushed.
"People are now taking the dramatic version of the story, in which it seems Masi has been sacrificed," he told Motorsport.com.
"I think it goes much further than that, when you see how it has been filled in now. It may well be that Michael said that he didn't like it this way and they couldn't work it out.
"It's not like Masi got the sack and suddenly someone else does it. It is not that simple. It is just a totally different structure and Masi has not been assigned to that new structure.
"I don't want to speculate about the underlying reason, it's so easy to get it wrong."
Lammers went on to give his support to the new race director structure, as "crucial decisions should not be left to one man".
