Masi: FIA has had to "tuck F1 drivers' elbows in" this year
Formula 1 race director Michael Masi says that the FIA is being tougher on first-lap incidents this year, and that drivers have had to tuck their elbows in a bit more.


In recent seasons there has been a relatively lenient approach to first-lap incidents, with drivers sometimes given the benefit of the doubt on the basis of the "let them race" philosophy.
However, Lewis Hamilton was given a 10-second penalty after his first lap clash with Max Verstappen in the British GP, while George Russell received a three-place grid penalty for the main event following his clash with Carlos Sainz on the first lap of the Saturday sprint.
Masi says that each first-lap incident is still discussed on its merits, and that teams and drivers had agreed that the FIA needed to be tougher.
"There is a clear point that the first lap is obviously treated in a much lighter way under the let them race principles than the rest of the race, no doubt about that," he said
"And letting drivers find their own balance.
"But the drivers have clearly said, as have the teams from the end of last year, that they felt with the elbows were out a bit too far last year, and they needed to be tucked back in a little bit."
Asked if in effect all bets were off after two or three corners had been completed, Masi said it wasn't the case.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, Lewis Hamilton Mercedes W12
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
"No, no, not at all. You need to look at it as what's happening on that first lap. It could be turn one, it could be turn six, depending on the nature of the circuit."
Masi said there was no room for leeway in the Hamilton/Verstappen clash.
"In that particular circumstance, no. There were two cars clearly involved in the incident and all the drivers from the start of this year said that if there's two cars involved, that if there is someone that is predominantly to blame, predominantly or wholly, then that should be looked at a bit closer, even on the first lap."
Expanding on why Hamilton was penalised by the stewards, Masi cited the Mercedes driver's later successful passing move on Charles Leclerc at the same corner.
"I think having looked at it all, their view was that he was predominantly to blame for that. The big part was similar to what happened with Charles later on, that he could have, say, tucked in closer to the apex.
"And that was where they found that, I think the wording was quite clear as per the regulations, that he was predominantly to blame. He wasn't seen as wholly to blame for it, but seen as predominantly to blame, that he could have tucked in further.
"And that may have changed the outcome. But we don't know, we judge it on the incident itself."

Tech: A look at Mercedes and Red Bull's F1 British GP floor designs
Will 2022's all-new cars look like F1's concept model?

Latest news
Why physical fitness is an understimated challenge for IndyCar rookies
The lack of in-car physical fitness is an “underestimated” hurdle for an IndyCar Series rookie, according to Dale Coyne Racing's Indy Lights graduate Sting Ray Robb.
Bubba Wallace ‘got dumped’ by Austin Dillon in NASCAR Clash
Bubba Wallace says Austin Dillon “dumped” him out of second place in NASCAR’s chaotic Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday night.
Albon warns Williams has "long road ahead" to recover in F1
Alex Albon admits that his Williams Formula 1 team has a “long road ahead” as it tries to progress up the field this year.
Toyota won’t put more pressure on Katsuta at WRC Rally Sweden
Toyota World Rally Championship boss Jari-Matti Latvala says the team won’t "put more pressure" on Takamoto Katsuta to deliver in his first drive for the factory team this weekend.
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.