Lewis Hamilton ‘gobsmacked’ by FIA Ben Sulayem’s Comment On ‘Michael Masi Return’

Lewis Hamilton has reacted angrily to FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem’s revelation in Sportsmail on Saturday that there may be a way back for sacked race director Michael Masi.

Masi was fired from his Formula One post in February after being held responsible for Hamilton missing out on an eighth world title in Abu Dhabi last year — a dismissal that represented a victory for Mercedes.

But in his first interview since taking up the leadership of world motor sport’s governing body, Ben Sulayem said: ‘Michael is there and we might use him. We are open to everything.’

Sportsmail understands from a team insider that Hamilton and his nearest advisers were ‘astonished’ to read the comments and spoke about the situation via urgent phone messages after the story broke.

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Hamilton’s Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was also furious and made his strong opposition to Masi’s rehabilitation known internally.

However, somebody close to the scene told Sportsmail that Ben Sulayem ‘does not want a fight’ but ‘is simply aiming to restore the FIA to its rightful position, nothing more or less.’

Traditionally, the FIA have been one-third of the troika that runs Formula One, alongside the 10 teams and Formula One Management. The FIA draw up the rules and run the races.

These three elements, fighting for their own interests as much as the good of the sport, have often been willing to take out each other’s eyeballs with toothpicks in internecine wrangling.

A source said: ‘Over the last few years the FIA has been marginalised and Ben Sulayem wants to return it to its old role. He doesn’t want anything himself, financially or in any other way. He maybe feels that Toto has got a little ahead of himself. It’s not up to Toto to run Formula One.’

Ben Sulayem, a 60-year-old former rally driver from Dubai, has kept in occasional dialogue with Masi — who remains on the FIA payroll and is keen to return to Formula One.

Mercedes declined to comment publicly on Ben Sulayem’s comments, pretending that the interview had not registered on their psyche.

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Another issue Ben Sulayem brought up was jewellery being worn in the cockpit. Hamilton is the most obvious exponent of the practice and Mercedes sources indicated the Briton would not back down in his desire to wear a nose stud despite the FIA edict.

He faces a fine and accumulating points on his racing licence if he drives with the stud in Monaco at the end of the month, when his exemption to have it removed will have run out.