The FIA has announced a raft of structural changes to the race direction system in Formula 1 going forward, after a thorough investigation and understanding of the events on the final laps of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, when safety car rules and protocols weren’t duly followed by then Race Director Michael Masi.

Among many other changes, the departure of Masi from his role and the introduction of shared duties in the race director role have caught the attention of many on the F1 scene, and no less the Ferrari drivers and team boss. Speaking after the launch of their all-new F1-75 car for 2022, Mattia Binotto has backed the changes, and said Ferrari “fully trust” the FIA, and said the sport “can only improve” from it:

“What happened in Abu Dhabi has been over-discussed, and over-analysed for months and weeks. I think the fact that it took so long is showing as well the complexity of the matter.

“Honestly, I think we can only improve. And if there is any lesson learned, I think that changes were required and decided for. We will support it.

“I think what is important, and that is really what I'm looking for, is full independence of the FIA in the decisions. I think that's the way it has to be in the decisions and the way that they're structuring themselves.

“I think that in order to have full independence, you need trust and as Ferrari we fully trust them,” Binotto stated.

FIA President Mohammed @Ben_Sulayem opens the way for a new step forward in @F1 refereeing pic.twitter.com/Xh6mFgXeyb

— FIA (@fia) February 17, 2022

Entering his fourth season in red, Charles Leclerc was adamant he has “a lot of respect” for Michael Masi, and reckons Masi’s job was especially difficult in Abu Dhabi, and reiterated his full support for the changes made by the FIA ahead of the new season:

“I have a lot of respect for Michael [Masi] and for everything he has done. He's been in a particularly difficult seat for the past years, and especially in Abu Dhabi obviously.

“With an end like this, it was always going to be controversial. But the FIA has made a decision and it has a lot more information than I do here. So I fully trust that this is the right decision, and we'll go forward with this,” Leclerc concluded.

His team-mate Carlos Sainz was also sympathetic towards Masi, but welcomes the changes, expressing how the race director “needs to be supported” in order to do a quality job, and hopes the sport can “keep improving” in the future, to give better rules clarity for drivers and fans:

“I personally would like to wish Michael [Masi] all the best in his new role," said the Spaniard.

“I'm sure he will be given a lot of responsibilities because we, as drivers, and for me at least I trust him in whatever he's done lately and he's done for the benefit of F1.

“I also welcome the new race directors and I'm sure they will have a very difficult task to complete. We saw the last few years in F1, it is a very difficult role, especially filling in the shoes of the late Charlie [Whiting], you know, that we all definitely miss.

“But we also accept that this role needs to be done properly. It needs to be done and supported, like the FIA is planning.

“So I actually like what I see on the ideas from the FIA. Hopefully we can keep improving as a sport and the ruling of the sport can keep improving to give more clarity to all the F1 drivers, but also for the fans and teams," Sainz concluded. 

The F1-75 breaks cover – an innovative and daring car
➡️ https://t.co/pqry2kpMMv#essereFerrari 🔴 pic.twitter.com/iPrKlamcsF

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 17, 2022