F1 race director Michael Masi insists that the FIA will not be pulled into the off-track war of words between Red Bull and Mercedes during the 2021 championship fight. The controversial first-lap incident between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton at the British Grand Prix - which led to Verstappen crashing out and Hamilton going on to win despite serving a 10-second penalty for his role in the clash - saw members of the Red Bull and Mercedes teams contact Masi to argue their case, including respective team principals Christian Horner and Toto Wolff. However, Masi says that the FIA are not concerned by the squabbling between the teams away from the circuit and will only focus on the on-track battles. "You've got such a close championship, which is fantastic for Formula 1, you've got two magnificent drivers fighting it out for a World Championship," Masi explained to RacingNews365.com and other select media. "As a regulator, you're always going to come out I think like any referee in any sporting competition, so there's always going to be an element of it. "But whatever sniping might happen between Red Bull and Mercedes behind the scenes is not of concern to us. We judge it on what happens out there on the sporting field or on the track in our circumstance." When asked if he felt any frustration at the teams contacting him over the radio - as was heard in the broadcast of the Grand Prix - Masi admits this does not bother him. "No frustration," Masi said. "Obviously that's part of what they do, it comes about in various waves, depending on what it is. "Everyone's looking after their own little patch of turf, so to speak, which you'd expect. But from my perspective, I treat them all equally, and try to balance up what we've got to do and perhaps set certain priorities within your own mind [of] what you've got before you, and you need to prioritise accordingly. "There were a couple of times there, be it with Mercedes or with Red Bull at the time, where I said, 'Just hang five and I'll get back to you', which happened earlier, which you probably didn't hear, you only heard the one that was broadcast."
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