MOTORSPORT: The unknown Aussie at the top of F1

Michael Masi is the man with his finger on the button in Formula 1.

He is the one who makes the big calls in grand prix racing, including the most-recent decision to go for a standing start in the rain-drenched German Grand Prix after exploratory race laps behind the Safety Car.

Masi was also the one who had to clean up the mess, and get the program back on track, after a manhole cover was dislodged and destroyed George Russell’s Williams at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

And when there was a catastrophic engine blow-up in a supporting race at the Hungarian Grand Prix there was Masi, in the thick of things as workers battled to get the track ready for the start of F1 practice.

Yet very few fans could pick the 40-year-old Melbournian out of the pack as he navigates through the grand prix paddock on his way to Race Control and the central seat reserved for the F1 Race Director.

Masi loves a crisply-ironed white FIA shirt and sometimes goes for a Mark Webber-style stubble, but prefers to stay out of the spotlight.

He was forced to go front-and-centre at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix after the tragic and untimely death of Charlie Whiting, the long-time FIA Race Director who had planned to mentor Masi and the rest of the operations team though his transition to retirement.

Masi was promoted to Whiting’s slot on a race-to-race basis at first, but a big tick from FIA President Jean Todt means he is now the full-time Race Director and Safety Delegate in 2019, and has the inside running for an extension into 2020 and beyond.

But talk to Masi, who started in the Australian Super Touring Championship and moved up rapidly to become number two in Supercars' race control, and he admits that he sometimes has to pinch himself to realise what he has achieved.

“I take it day-by-day. I’m absolutely loving the challenge of it all, but I haven’t really had a chance to sit back and let it sink in,” Masi says in an exclusive interview with carsales from Hungary.

“Looking back it’s something I’ve aspired to for many years. It’s something I absolutely aspired to, for a long time. Like everything, you set yourself targets and aspirations on where you’d like to be and what you’d like to do.”

He was well schooled and prepared for his new post but admits there are daily challenges.

“The biggest difference is having to deal with different languages and different cultures. The challenge is bringing myself up to speed, but the principal of race control is no different to anywhere else. The big difference is they have a heap more information than anything I’ve done before.

“Charlie was the architect and author of the rules and knew them back to front, similar to how I was in my previous role in Australia. The more you use things the more they come to memory. But each day I learn something new when I have to use it.”

That could be something as simple as running the drivers’ briefing or taking a track walk to check that everything is in place, or something as complicated as navigating through the ever-changing weather, track conditions, official reports and driver errors during the German Grand Prix.

“At the time, it was probably -- I wouldn’t stay stressful -- but it was pressure filled. After the race it was time to take a deep breath and say ‘Wow, we just did that’.

“During the race you do what you need to do. I have an amazing team of people I work with in F1. It's not just a one-man band, particularly in conditions like that.”

So Masi has his dream job and that means hundreds of nights away from home, ever-present stress in the F1 paddock, and the challenge of leaning and adapting in the fastest-moving form of global motorsport.

“I’m still finding my feet. I don’t think you can feel at home overnight.

“Part of that is probably me, but I cannot complain. I’ve been very much welcomed and supported by everyone in the F1 world.”

The impact of the new job is obvious from a single statistic.

“I haven’t had seven consecutive nights at home since the start of March,” Masi laughs.

“I haven’t even totalled the number of days away, but I’m going to guess with everything it will be to the tune of about 30 weeks away this year. Maybe a few more.”

If he goes full-time in 2020 there is likely to be an even bigger change, even though Masi has Italian heritage and is at home in Europe with an EU passport.

“I’d have to relocate to Europe to make it less of an impact on me. Commuting from Australia is not the easiest thing to do. In the European season it’s very, very tough. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

He laughs at the suggestion he could join the F1 drivers in Monte Carlo, a tax haven for expatriates.

“Monaco? I don't know about that.”

Masi has taken his time to learn the ropes in F1 and one obvious change is that, unlike Whiting, he does not push the button on the startline gantry for races. But he has a simple explanation.

“I’m much more useful in Race Control at the start. And that was clear at Hockenheim.”

From the start of a race weekend he is full-on, and that’s something that has always been clear.

“During the race it’s very much reacting in real time. It’s reacting to the circumstances as they drive.

“It’s gut instinct. You don’t have time to think about things.

“But outside the session, and during planning, you have to consider how things will develop.”

That a very different challenge, especially for an Aussie.

“The toughest challenge is probably dealing with people. And all kinds of people. And trying to manage various expectations.

“Drivers generally, in either of the two major categories I’ve dealt with, are quite good. But, having said that, everyone is going to have a point of view and you need to have your own filter on the things. It’s trying to piece the bits of the puzzle together.

“I’d like to think I have good instincts. But your training, your life experiences, your actual experiences in different categories over many, many years, means you learn with time.

He’s also aware of the huge responsibility that goes with his job.

“The intensity is different because it’s a world championship. From where I started, 20-plus years ago in an Australian championship, progressing to an FIA International series and now to something that is the pinnacle of world motorsport, clearly shows that.

“Generally, motorsport is much, much more complicated than most other sports.

“The primary function for me is continuity from one event to another, and to ensure everything we do is conducted in the safest possible manner. That’s not just drivers but officials and spectators, everyone.

“At the end of the day, you’re trying to make sure everything is running on time. But, like everything, it’s not a one-man show.

“You know what the prime show is, and the prime purpose, of Formula 1, and you work to make sure it runs that way."

As he prepares for the next race, and the ones after that, Masi is still not sure what to expect.

“Each hour is different, let alone each day. There are always new challenges. Formula 1 is a living thing, it doesn’t stay stagnant.

“I’m a firm believer that you learn every single day of your life. It’s just dealing with everything that comes up, as best as you can.”