F1’s Aussie rules
FORMULA 1 IS A VICIOUS environment. Only the ruthless survive and success requires exceptional ambition. Even those perceived as “nice” are as they are talented.
At any level, you don’t make it in F1 unless your ability is supported by supreme self-belief and political savvy. You need to be astute as well as skilled.
Sink or swim. Kill or be killed. Dog eat dog. Nowhere to hide. Every cliché about elite sporting achievement applies to F1.
Mainly, though, it is riven with the excesses of obscene amounts of money. F1 teams this year have had their operational spending capped at US$145 million – down from as much as US$400 million – but it is still an outrageous cost.
So much is at stake that as well as bringing out the best in those competing, it also brings out the worst. Agendas and egos. Power plays and politics. Money and glory. They all shape the internecine existence of F1.
It is an unforgiving existence that rewards excellence and heartlessness at the same time. So it is surprising that into this ultra-competitive cauldron enters an Aussie renowned for being universally popular.
He is Michael Masi, the Sydney-born F1 race director. As well as an accomplished motorsport administrator, he is someone almost everybody likes.
Masi’s equanimity has charmed the hardest hard-arses in racing. Thrown into the deep end in tragic circumstances two-and-a-half years ago, he has won the respect of the most intense racers in one of the biggest sporting enterprises in the world.
Hard but fair. F1 has embraced Masi’s Aussie attitude, accepting him as the race weekend arbiter
He is, effectively, the boss of F1 at every grand prix, controlling how the competition is conducted.
Masi is amiable, dashing and authoritative. He is also a stickler for The Rules. A rare combination of
