Fired F1 racing director Michael Masi is set to be given a new role by the FIA ​​despite the controversial end of the 2021 season

The FIA ​​​​is negotiating a new role for sacked race director Michael Masi because he remains an “important figure”.

Masi was sacked after his controversial handling of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for allegedly failing to follow strict safety car rules.

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The Australian made the decision to allow the five cars separating race leader Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen to lap each other behind a safety car en route to the final laps.

This enabled Verstappen to overtake Hamilton on much fresher tires and win his first Formula One world title.

Masi was sacked shortly after, but FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem wants him to stay.

Ben Sulayem said: “[We wanted] to take the pressure and stress off him because he’s been through a lot.

“We are grateful for the three years he invested with us and for the time he took [in].

“But of course we are now negotiating with him about staying in the FIA.

“He is [an] important figure for us so our people are negotiating for another, I wouldn’t say a job but another place for him within the FIA.”

Mercedes star Hamilton wants to leave all that behind and concentrate on his eighth world title this season.

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The British legend said: “Unfortunately we can’t go back and change the past so I’m just looking at what I can do now.

“I didn’t expect an apology and I didn’t focus on that. We know it is, and it probably wouldn’t happen.

“But at least there’s that transparency and it’s been called human error and that’s a positive step.”