Watch: Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft silences Ted Kravitz's jibes at Michael Masi

Former FIA race director Michael Masi was recently seen in the paddock during the 2023 F1 Australian GP. His return to the paddock certainly raised a lot of eyebrows. During one of the red flag periods in the Australian GP, F1 commentators Ted Kravitz and David Croft spoke about Masi.

While Kravitz was slightly skeptical of talking about the 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP where Masi made some questionable and bizarre decisions, Croft openly spoke about him. He explained how Masi should only be looked at as a normal human being, and that people should gradually move on from whatever happened in 2021. To start off, Kravitz stated:

"I can't believe you brought up Abu Dhabi, Crofty. I can't believe you did it. I wonder where Michael Masi is these days. Oh yeah, that's right he is here, he is in the paddock."

David Croft responded with:

"He is here. He is a human being and it's lovely to see Michael Masi looking well and feeling a lot happier about life. Never forget, whatever your allegiances were in Abu Dhabi, he is a human being."

Nevertheless, Kravitz wasn't ready to talk about the 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP yet, at least on a live telecast. Croft, on the other hand, was open enough and urged people to move on and look at the Australian as a mere human being.

Masi is currently one of the most controversial personalities in the sport. In the 2021 F1 season, he made some questionable decisions during several races, especially in the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP when he allowed a few cars to unlap themselves, which eventually allowed Max Verstappen to come up right behind Lewis Hamilton.

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FIA president opens up about Michael Masi facing abuse on social media after the 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem explained how he spoke to former F1 race director Michael Masi about the toxic abuse that he was facing on social media platforms. Although Sulayem admits that Masi made a mistake, the level of abuse that he faced was unfair. Addressing the issue, the FIA president said:

“I’d been talking to [Masi] at the beginning. There were human errors there, and I felt that he also wanted to just not go further, because of what he got from social media, the toxic social media. I spoke to him, and it was unfair also for him. The FIA was always supportive. This is the same thing that’s happening to Silvia, again to some of our members – threats.”

He further revealed how he received some threats after 2021 himself:

“I got some threats also, to reverse the results [in Abu Dhabi], but I didn’t take them seriously. But now we stand against the toxic social media that will affect our sport. I am a big believer that if we don’t take a stand, we might find the damage will be beyond repair for our sport in the future.”

Right after the 2021 season, Masi left the post of race director and returned to Australia to find another job.