Lewis has been talking about green issues, maybe this will make him actually do something
Green issues...really, spare me his greenwashing "I care" rhetoric about the environment . His carbon footprint for one race weekend is probably more than mine for a whole year.
Shame it ended how it did - Masi absolutely needs to go, he's got no business being a race director. They do also need to try and limit the team comms to the RD during a race (although there should be some).
Gutted for Hamilton but Max does deserve the title on balance, better this way anyway than being decided in the courts and Hamilton being given the title.
I also get that there's a lot of variables in a race but ffs the FIA need to sort out the regulations and take away as much ambiguity (or RD discretion) as possible - given all the money involved in F1 the title coming down to call to allow the drivers one lap to race on (but massively biased in favour of one driver) is a joke. Masi's comment to Toto about it being a motor race shows he clearly doesn't understand what he's doing.
I also get that there’s a lot of variables in a race but ffs the FIA need to sort out the regulations and take away as much ambiguity (or RD discretion) as possible – given all the money involved in F1 the title coming down to call to allow the drivers one lap to race on (but massively biased in favour of one driver) is a joke.
Careful what you wish for. I'm not an afficionado of motorsport but I am of football and the circular arguments about whether referees have to apply letter of the law vs applying judgement and discretion are never ending. Do you want consistency irrespective of circumstance, if that isn't always the 'right' decision
The protest decision explains this though – 48.13 states that the safety car goes in at the end of *this current* lap and the decision can’t be changed, so over rules 48.12 that says about the following lap. 48.12 also says it only applies after the message “all lapped cars to overtake” is issued (which it wasn’t).
The way I read it, though, 48.12 doesn’t make provision for the “SC in” call to be made at just any old time: it defines the earliest point at which the SC can come in. Once the call is made we’re on to 48.13, sure, but making that call too early would seem to contravene 48.12.
I can’t see anything in the rules which says that they can’t decide to get lapped cars out of the way to save them from interfering in the race result. It was pretty much clear that none of the other drivers wanted to get in the way of the championship fight.
But then I can’t see anything that leave the option of choosing to bring one car on the lead lap onto the rear of another, while leaving them protected from the rear. The drivers may have wanted to avoid getting tangled up in a collision with Max or Lewis, but if you’d asked Sainz whether he’d fancy the opportunity for a second place or even a win on the last lap, then if he’d said “no” then if I was Binotto I’d have torn up his contract there and then. And if I were Toto then I’d be suggesting to Mattia that he might like to make that point to the FIA. Can you imagine if that had happened when Todt and Brawn were running Ferrari? Why should they be pegged at third place? Masi’s glib response may have been “we went racing, Toto,” but we didn’t. The FIA chose who should race and who shouldn’t. That’s not racing.
Again, though, that’s just how I read it and I’m no lawyer. And I’m of the opinion that the result shouldn’t change—but the FIA should.
Do you want consistency irrespective of circumstance, if that isn’t always the ‘right’ decision
I think so, yeah. Otherwise it's just a lottery and no-one knows where they stand in any given situation.
If pitting under SC is for safety (in case of tyre damage), make it mandatory for all cars....
Maybe not 😂
Paddy Power are paying out on both Max and Lewis wins.
Do gambling companies often do that?
Just a pure cash vs PR opportunity equation for them during a massively controversial sporting moment.
Green issues…really, spare me his greenwashing “I care” rhetoric about the environment . His carbon footprint for one race weekend is probably more than mine for a whole year.
@bruneep - He's sold his private jet and now flies commercial, drives an electric car and is a vegan, he also attends far less events than he used to due to environmental concerns. In his private and personal life, he's doing far more than most. Do you also factor in YOUR job into your climate impact? He's also using his job as a platform to promote environmental and equality issues.
Once the call is made we’re on to 48.13, sure, but making that call too early would seem to contravene 48.12.
On top of that, surely there’s some provision for the SC staying out after that call if something else happens? Regulation 48.Grosjean perhaps. It can’t be absolutely absolute.
Careful what you wish for. I’m not an afficionado of motorsport but I am of football and the circular arguments about whether referees have to apply letter of the law vs applying judgement and discretion are never ending. Do you want consistency irrespective of circumstance, if that isn’t always the ‘right’ decision.
One of the big problems with football and the f1 debacle is the unwillingness of the authorities to admit a mistake and show they have learnt from it. You can't make a rulebook that governs every eventuality, but you can create guidance and principles that demonstrate a fair path, and when mistakes by referees, stewards and race directors are made, then guidance can be publically explained how they would want the decision making process to be made in the future.
I think so, yeah. Otherwise it’s just a lottery and no-one knows where they stand in any given situation.
So, hypothetical but possible, if they'd both had had chances to stop and were in 'equivalent' cars / tyres at the time; no-one's at a mechanical advantage or disadvantage and the opportunity is there by flexible application of the laws to 'let them race' to decide it, with both teams in agreement that is what should happen.
You wouldn't want that to be a possibility?
Is there any reason for actually having a safety car anyway?
For safety. Wasn't it introduced to reduce the number of first-corner collisions on restarts?
One or two big teams or big drivers moving to formula E could be the death F1.
Completely the opposite.... Audi and BMW are pulling out.
If you pit under the safety car you should go to the back of the pack. You shouldn't be able to win a race by getting free pit stops under the SC. Same on the red flag. Change of tyres - go back 5 grid places on the restart.
One thing that does hearten me is that Christian Horner will always know that the Championship was won with a cloud of doubt over it.
He'll always know, in his heart, that it wasn't done the right way.
It'll be like a little asterisk in his head every time it's mentioned.
"So Christian, Red Bull: 2021 World Champions*"
Thoroughly dislike the man
You wouldn’t want that to be a possibility?
After yesterday's debacle, I really wouldn't want the race director to have any discretion as to how to interpret rules! 🙂 That was exactly the problem - Masi made it up on the fly rather than following the rule book, if the rules had been applied as written there could be no complaints. Instead it was gifted to the contender on the day who'd been consistently slower - faster guy did absolutely everything right and still lost the title.
On top of that, surely there’s some provision for the SC staying out after that call if something else happens? Regulation 48.Grosjean perhaps. It can’t be absolutely absolute.
The regs state the _earliest_ that an SC should come in. If something happens after it is called in but before the race resumes then a new SC period is called and the process just starts again
You wouldn’t want that to be a possibility?
What you’re describing is something that involves the explicit agreement of all parties. Which, for one thing, is rather unlikely because it requires someone to give up an advantage for no good reason, and which, for another, is entirely different to yesterday’s safety call where one team was lobbying for one racing lap and the other was vehemently objecting to the exceptional procedure.
Sure, pragmatism is one thing, but giving teams guidance on which they base their decisions, and then moving the goalposts with no notice, is quite another.
Had Mercedes been informed this would happen, their best bet would have been to pit Hamilton for softs. As it stood, their best bet was staying out because absolutely everything indicated that unless the Williams was cleared in no time at all, the race would finish under SC.
Thoroughly dislike the man
He's remarkably graceless, whether winning or not. Has anyone seen a transcript of the conversation between Red Bull and race control under the SC? I suspect that would make for interesting reading.
There certainly wasn't agreement by all parties!... 🙂
Same on the red flag. Change of tyres – go back 5 grid places on the restart.
I think it's OK to let them fettle on Red flags. In fact I would have red flagged it as soon as I realised (If I were race director) there was no way to end it without being specifically disadvantageous to either driver. Should have red flagged with 3 or 4 to go. Everyone gets fresh rubber, with race positions reset - straight forward few lap race for the win.
He’ll always know, in his heart, that it wasn’t done the right way.
I’ll guarantee that won’t be the case.
You wouldn’t want that to be a possibility?
No. Rules is rules.
Some require judgement, who was at fault in this crash or that crash, was that deliberate, did that driver gain an advantage, but once a decision is reached the rules state what should happen and that is what should happen. And in terms of how the race is run I can't see there being any interpretation for it to be open to, it may be a judgement call for instance whether to have a VSC or full SC but once that call is made the rules say how it should work.
Once we have a RD making it up as he goes along we have chaos, no rule can be taken as fixed. Massi has to go
Should have red flagged with 3 or 4 to go. Everyone gets fresh rubber, with race positions reset – straight forward few lap race for the win.
If they MUST create an artificial shoot out, that would have been the way to do it.
don't get me wrong, I'm just posing a counter-opinion. Personally I think it was an awful decision. Irrespective of whether the regs allow for discretion, the purpose of the officials is to apply the laws without favour, and to not influence the outcome of the event in doing so.
They got it wrong, by both application of the regs, and in that race at least by influencing the outcome.
Whether over the course of a season these things even out, IDK.
Should have red flagged with 3 or 4 to go. Everyone gets fresh rubber, with race positions reset – straight forward few lap race for the win.
Hindsight is wonderful, pretty sure Massi will be thinking excctly that this morning too.
Massi has to go
I would have thought so. But then maybe Liberty Media are absolutely delighted with the outcome. It will be talked about for years. Its sets up a perfect narrative for the 2022 season. I can almost hear the trailer style voiceover
Should have red flagged with 3 or 4 to go. Everyone gets fresh rubber, with race positions reset – straight forward few lap race for the win.
100% agree. The whole debacle was a shambles. If the FIA/F1 really, really want to mix things up from a false "entertainment" point of view, red flag the race, let them all change tyres and have a lap or two as a shootout. It's not ideal from a Mercedes/Lewis point of view, but at least it's fairer and everyone know where they stand, rather than having to make title changing decisions without knowing all the facts.
As some drivers have said, if this any other race or the title had been decided, it would have ended under safety car.
I'm not angry about Max being champion, but if the shoe was on the other foot and Lewis won it in that way Red Bull would be equally fuming and we'd still be in the same position, so the issue is clearly with the FIA and Masi. There is no way in well Charlie would have let anything like this go down. Masi lost control a while ago and he should resign and apologise to all the teams. Other drivers lost the opportunity Max was given because not all cars were allowed to unlap themselves. I can't see that CAS will have a good view of the way things were handled if it ends up going that far... The decisions made in those last few laps smack of incompetence and complete disregard for keeping the race a fair sporting contest for all competitors.
They need to look at tarmac run off areas too.
I can't imagine that the FIA are happy that they, and Massi, are the headlines today
Should have red flagged with 3 or 4 to go. Everyone gets fresh rubber, with race positions reset – straight forward few lap race for the win.
If only there was precedent for a red flag right near the end when an SC would probably do. Oh wait, Baku.
I can’t imagine that the FIA are happy that they, and Massi, are the headlines today
Oh, they'll be fuming - what the hell do they do now? Masi's dropped em right in it - can't imagine the result will be changed, but how stupid do they look?
There certainly wasn’t agreement by all parties!… 🙂
Maybe those other teams should have protested too....as someone else said, if Riciardo and someone else hadn't been between Sainz and Verstappen, Sainz might have attacked, forcing Max to defend and so not overtake Lewis. (Or maybe they'd have both passed him...😁)
They should write that sort of thing in. No safety car in the last six laps, always a red flag instead. And so on.
Spectacle is good, there’s no inherent problem with that. But create the framework for it before the racing, not during.
Bez +1
The pitting under SC needs looking at too. Fine if everybody can benefit equally, but clearly that’s not possible and it doesn’t seem fair that the driver who has been fastest and built up a good lead can be so disadvantaged. Of course they have to bunch behind the SC as the whole point is to create time for Marshall’s to run about on the track with no cars about, so they can’t change that.
Not sure a red flag would have been entirely fair, Max was on much younger tyres and catching at almost the required rate to give him a chance on the last lap, also Hamilton's tyres could have fallen off a cliff or punctured late on. Lando had to pit for a puncture before Latifi's shunt and his tyres were a similar age to Lewis'...
Also don't agree with how it finished though but don't think there would have been a perfect solution, looked to dangerous for a VSC to shift Latifi's car.
there was no way to end it without being specifically disadvantageous to either driver.
Yes there was. Just leave those 5 cars between Lewis and Max. Lewis would have had enough to get around and win.
10 laps from the end Horner has already all but conceeded defeat and said Merc were too good on the day.
Max was on much younger tyres and catching at almost the required rate to give him a chance on the last lap,
Are you sure?
Max was on much younger tyres and catching at almost the required rate to give him a chance on the last lap, also Hamilton’s tyres could have fallen off a cliff or punctured late on
A tyre failure was an outside possibility—though Hamilton is generally one of the best at looking after tyres and if I recall they weren’t extending beyond Pirelli’s guidance—but Max was nowhere near closing on Lewis on pure pace; they were pretty much on the same lap times and had been since a couple of laps after Max pitted.
Sainz might have attacked
I’m struggling to see this. Reckon it’d be more likely he’d not want to interfere with a title fight in the last round
Oh, they’ll be fuming – what the hell do they do now? Masi’s dropped em right in it
It's largely a problem of their own making though. The FIA have rounded up a whole bunch of roles since 2019 when Whiting died, who'd been doing the role without a job description for decades, and thrown them all at Masi who's probably got too much to do come race day, and hasn't got nearly enough support.
One of the Sky pundits (Nico I think) said on Saturday after qualis that he wouldn't want that role for all the money in the world.
I still don't really understand why you have to bunch the cars under a safety car.
It dates back to cars that didn't have electronic control, GPS etc. so there was no real other way to do it.
But nowadays, why not just have the virtual safety car? Gap between cars is maintained but they all slow down to whatever speed is deemed acceptable. They could even do it so the cars can go faster away from the accident to maintain tyre temps etc. but then slow right down past the incident.
Why is it deemed acceptable that a team who has built a lease for the whole race, loses it because someone else has a crash?
Max was nowhere near catching Lewis at the required rate.
Max was on much younger tyres and catching at almost the required rate to give him a chance on the last lap,
This is absolute rubbish. The gap had stabilised WHILST Hamilton passed those 4 cars. Max had 5 to get passed and was still near 12secs back. He was never in with a sniff, hence Horner's comments with 10laps to go.
I still don’t really understand why you have to bunch the cars under a safety car.
I was thinking the same but the main point I guess is the give the marshals a chance to clear debris. Bunch them all together and once thats done you have at least a minute, minute and half of traffic free road to go out and sweep debris, move a telehandler across the track etc every lap of the bunch.
I guess you could 'fan' them out afterwards with gps positions but than might be a complete mission to achieve. Or released from the pitlane by car number at the gaps at the time of the safety car going out (so they circuit the track to keep tyres sort of warm then go into the pitlane with the safety car and get spat out with time gaps restored).
However that would be prioritising fair racing. This mob probably quite like stirring it all up to generate pay per view thrillz for teenage boys. As binners said a few pages back, if they could find a way of engineering in mario kart banana skins I'm sure they'd have done it by now.
Ah yeah. Good point about creating a gap for the Marshalls to work in.
Although they could do that and then just before the safety car comes in they spread all the cars back out again. It can't be that hard with all the telemetry and data in those cars to reset the gaps at an appropriate time.
Let’s face facts: the primary function of the safety car is to create close racing and excitement. But that’s fine! Teams don’t object to it because they know about it, everyone has the same risk, everyone can factor it into their decision-making, and so on. Sure, it’s a lottery in that you sometimes benefit and sometimes lose out, but it’s fine because everyone accepts it, and audiences love it because it spices things up. And it’s not too gimmicky, like banana skins or other ideas like sprinkler systems or long laps (we’ll overlook DRS for the moment).
But again, it’s about building that framework for a spectacle before you go racing, not deciding on a whim that a new procedure applies today.
But again, it’s about building that framework for a spectacle before you go racing, not deciding on a whim that a new procedure applies today.
That. It really doesn't matter what the rules are. What matters is that they are known in advance and applied consistently
Do you also factor in YOUR job into your climate impact?
Aye my 6mile commute 3 days a week is up there with someone jetting around the world every weekend and burning hundreds of litres of fuel and trashing umpteen sets of tyres.
If it bothered him that much hed stop doing it and go live off grid in the arse end of nowhere. Empty words from him. Our jobs are not even in same carbon footprint league.
Hold on I see a light left switch on otherside of building let me go shout at someone for killing a dolphin with their reckless attitude to the environment.
Is there any reason for actually having a safety car anyway?
For safety. Wasn’t it introduced to reduce the number of first-corner collisions on restarts?
If that was the case, you'd just do all starts as a rolling start using a pace car to get them formed up. It doesn't make any sense to have red flag restarts as standing starts if standing starts are unsafe. Same goes for regular race starts.
If you want to actually make it safe for the marshals and rescue crews to work after a crash, then just red flag every major incident and put cars to the back of the grid if they want to work on the car.
Slightly too early to start the 2022 F1 thread but here's to hoping that Merc produce a 2022 engine that's 150bhp up on the Redbull inhouse 2022 engine with Honda now leaving the scene. Horner's face with a RB struggling to get into the top 10 each race in 2022 would be a sweet turnaround! 😀
The safety car is definitely necessary at times but creates unfair situations, perhaps they should all form a grid for the restart with timed lights to match their race positions/timing gaps
If it bothered him that much hed stop doing it and go live off grid in the arse end of nowhere.
It’s great that your carbon footprint is apparently lower, but how many people are listening to your arguments and observing the changes you’re making? I’m guessing your global audience is roughly this thread, and I suspect no-one here is responding to your sarcasm and whataboutery by changing their own actions.
If that was the case, you’d just do all starts as a rolling start using a pace car to get them formed up. It doesn’t make any sense to have red flag restarts as standing starts if standing starts are unsafe. Same goes for regular race starts.
Everyone knows that, but the grid start is one of the differentiators between F1 and other top levels of motorsport, so it'll never change
If it bothered him that much hed stop doing it and go live off grid in the arse end of nowhere. Empty words from him. Our jobs are not even in same carbon footprint league.
Appreciate that this is going a bit off-topic from the main thrust of the thread but there's an article here (from a couple of years ago) about F1's carbon footprint. Most of it is not the actual racing, it's the carting thousands of tonnes of kit around the world:
Undoubtedly there's some green-washing in there too - glib words about tree-planting and offsets mixed in with some "well if it wasn't for F1 tech [x, y and z] wouldn't have been developed which are greener than what came before".
However, top sportspeople have a global platform of millions so can use that position to drive change on all manner of issues.
How about to finish the SC, all into the pits and let out by lights timed to the pre-SC time gaps. If you need to change tyres for safety reasons, you can, but leave the pits last.
The safety car is definitely necessary at times but creates unfair situations, perhaps they should all form a grid for the restart with timed lights to match their race positions/timing gaps
Yeah I agree that something needs to change as the current regulations do make it really unfair.
Seems reasonable, although would actually negate the need for the SC, just make them all pit (essentially a red flag).
Would Masi have done the same thing if LH and MV’s positions were swapped when the SC was declared?
It looks like MV needed all the ‘Frankly Incomprehensible Assistance’ he could get.
"The whining to the RD definitely needs to stop, I can understand Toto’s dismay on the last lap, but the earlier one about the SC was not on."
The thing is, this is how Masi operates. In Saudi we all heard him and Horner bartering for am outcome. "Here's the deal" (or words to that effect). What are Merc to do? Sit there and say nothing as the whole world listens to RB and the RD negotiate the rules?
The race directors' job is to direct a race, not a movie.
Yeah I’m with you there, if Horner’s doing it and Masi’s allowing it then Toto has to join in to try and maintain a balance.
For safety. Wasn’t it introduced to reduce the number of first-corner collisions on restarts?
Partly, it was also brought in to enable the race to continue and not overrun due to restarts back in the days when TV stations had to book a specific slot of satellite time so they could show the race live. The initial idea was one of safety but over the years its role has evolved. The initial idea was for a medical car to follow the first lap and it moved on from there, there's a very good explanation of it all and the pitfalls they went through (Vauxhall Cavalier safety car one race, Lamborghini Countach the next!) in Prof. Sid Watkins' book Triumph and Tragedy in Formula 1.
It's interesting that none of the normal sites (Planet F1, Autosport etc) think that what happened was anything other than a farce. While all of them are very quick to point out that they think Verstappen's a worthy winner of the season (I don't think many think that he's not) most also think that those decision will definitely echo on.
1. Don't let cars un-lap themselves
2. Let only on a select few un-lap themselves
3. Change the rules about when the race starts again after the SC has come back in.
what a bin fire.
In the early days of the safety car, wasn't the pit lane closed automatically when the safety car was deployed, until the RD deemed it was safe (or fair) to open it, and maybe something about returning to the original position in the pack (although I am less confident that was a thing).
By early days I eman probably some point in the 90's or early 2000's when it seemed to become a regular thing.
thegreatape
Free MemberSeems reasonable, although would actually negate the need for the SC, just make them all pit (essentially a red flag
Except you can’t just drive these cars into the pit lane, turn them off whilst the track is cleared, then fire them back up and hammer out of the pits when you get your countdown. Anything like this turns into a massive faff and 20+ min delay
I see the biggest hypocrite is whinging again that Merc unworthy sore losers and that if the protest is successful then DedCow will take their ball and not play.....
Ha! I was about to post the exact same. Marko in “mouths off with total lack of self awareness and threatens to have a flounce” shocker! You could set your watch by him, assuming you wanted your watch to behave like a dick.
I’d love him to do it just to see Max’s reaction… “I love you guys, let’s do this for 10-15 years!”—“**** that, Max, you’ll have to go to Formula E, I’m pulling the whole thing because I can’t stand people who over-react to something that they don’t like!”
It’s not even his team anyway. It would be a more credible threat if the guy who carries the left rear wheel to the box threatened to walk out.
Except you can’t just drive these cars into the pit lane, turn them off whilst the track is cleared, then fire them back up and hammer out of the pits when you get your countdown. Anything like this turns into a massive faff and 20+ min delay
Fair point
1. Don’t let cars un-lap themselves2. Let only on a select few un-lap themselves
3. Change the rules about when the race starts again after the SC has come back in.
what a bin fire.
The thing is, had that SC been at any other point in the race, it'd largely have been OK.
They tried to rush it to finish so they could get one more lap in, pulled out half the cars but not all of them (as though the placings below 2nd and the midfield battles didn't matter) and made all that up on the fly.
If they'd have had another 5 laps in hand, it'd (probably) have been OK. Equally if the SC had come out with 1 or 2 laps to go, they'd have had no choice but to finish under it.
For me, I think the only 'fair' way of treating the SC / pit stop rule is to either make cars that stop join the back of the tail, so there is some cost - and would restrict drivers to pitting under the SC for safety reasons - or it would be to freeze the positions as they are when the SC is deployed and allow all the drivers to reform in their original positions.
Ultimately, the rushed ending guaranteed Max the win, I'm not surprised Mercedes are kicking off..
Except you can’t just drive these cars into the pit lane, turn them off whilst the track is cleared, then fire them back up and hammer out of the pits when you get your countdown. Anything like this turns into a massive faff and 20+ min delay
It wouldn't take 20 minutes to restart the cars if this was a normal part of races. Teams would be prepared to stop and restart in a hurry. The reason it won't happen is because everyone is used to doing it the way it is now.
and made all that up on the fly.
I think that's the nub of Mercedes' complaint, isn't it?
WEC have a “full course yellow” and the pit Lane is closed until the race director opens it. They use the safety car keeps frequently. It’s not prefect, but it’s better than F1
I too was about to post about Helmet bleating. There's only one thing worse than a bad loser, and that's a bad winner.
It would be good if the sites just stopped reporting anything he (Marko) says - it never seems to add anything to the discussion
Sainz might have attacked
I’m struggling to see this. Reckon it’d be more likely he’d not want to interfere with a title fight in the last round
I agree...but what if Sainz finishing above Max had meant Ferrari beating McLaren to 3rd place, and he was unable to because he had back markers but Max didn't? I know, all hypothetical but you can't have one rule for some back markers and another one for the rest!
How about to finish the SC, all into the pits and let out by lights timed to the pre-SC time gaps. If you need to change tyres for safety reasons, you can, but leave the pits last.
Pit lanes aren't designed for lots of people doing a high speed start together - imagine if a car near the back of the lane is say 0.5 seconds ahead of one at the front - and it is released just as the rear car is passing. if you are doing "timed release" it would be far better / safer on the grid - but then cold tyres aren't that safe either...
I'm sure 2022 telemetry could be used to restore pre-safety car positions. But then if you were gaining 0.5s per lap with a 4sec gap and 12 laps to go and the safety car comes out for 6 laps you are still unhappy.
There is potentially an argument that SC laps shouldn't count (or perhaps count as 1/2 laps) - the TV schedules shouldn't be too screwed up if it avoids stop/start, but then if you do 10 extra laps under safety car with tyres and fuel calculated for less you are penalised.
What is clearly unacceptable is to have inconsistent rules. But to have finished yesterdays race under the safety car whilst people were unlapping themselves would have been criticised as an anticlimax. I think anyone who reads this:
The race directors’ job is to direct a race, not a movie.
and doesn't think - are you sure - there would be no race if it wasn't a "spectacle"...
The FIA have rounded up a whole bunch of roles ... ...and thrown them all at Masi who’s probably got too much to do come race day, and hasn’t got nearly enough support.
I'm quite sure if Masi wants help he could just ask and have assistant race directors or clerks of the course or whatever separation he needs - its not like budget is the problem. If he doesn't have that its because he or the FIA (or most likely both) prefer it to be more interesting/controversial than a very smoothly run race.
Pit lanes aren’t designed for lots of people doing a high speed start together
It doesn't have to be high speed starts. When the SC finishes:
All cars drive into the pit lane in race order.(note, nobody actually pits)
Set up timed lights at the top of the pit lane. \
You aren't allowed over the line until your light goes.
Pit lane speed limit still applies.
It doesn't even need to be the PL, it could be the starting grid. Just a way of preserving the pre-SC time gaps.
I’m quite sure if Masi wants help he could just ask and have assistant race directors
I thought he'd already appointed Christian Horner as his assistant.