F1 INSIDER

WHY F1 MIGHT BE OVER FOR HAMILTON

01 The FIA has set out its process for an investigation into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix farrago, and the outcome will have a significant influence on whether Lewis Hamilton remains in Formula 1.

In January, GP Racing contributor and BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer Andrew Benson reported that Mercedes insiders say Hamilton has “lost trust” in the governing body because of its handling of the race, and will not decide whether to return to F1 until he sees the results of the inquiry. This will be the first big test of the authority of newly elected FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

Inevitably, given the circumstances, discussion of this matter has been driven down several rabbit holes by partisanship. But this is not a question of who won and who lost, but one of whether the rules were correctly applied – and it is fundamental to the ongoing credibility of F1 as a sporting spectacle.

At the heart of the controversy lie the actions of race director Michael Masi during the