© Wolfgang Wilhelm for Daimler AG
Toto Wolff says former F1 race director Michael Masi is “a totally unimportant person” and adds “everyone saw the drama of an eight-time world champion being robbed of his title” at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
At the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, F1 race director (at the time) Michael Masi chose not to follow the rules which govern the use of the Safety Car in the final laps of the race, and this allowed Max Verstappen to easily overtake Lewis Hamilton, who was on much older tyres, and claim victory and the 2021 championship.
In the aftermath of that race, the FIA removed Masi from his role and, after conducting an internal investigation, the governing organization determined that he had made a “human error”.
However, many believe the decisions made that day were not a result of an error, but a concerted effort to make sure Lewis does not win the championship.
In a new book ‘The Formula’ by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had some harsh words to say about Masi.
“When I think about it again, it’s so unfair what happened to Lewis and the team that day,” the Austrian said.
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“And that one individual didn’t follow the rules and just let it happen.
“He is a totally unimportant person: he lives on the other side of the world and nobody is interested in him.
“He really was an utter pathological egomaniac.”
Toto added, that despite the injustice that happened there, the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will remain a historic Formula 1 race.
“It is drama and glory. This is what makes the sport so irresistible. Everyone saw the drama of an eight-time world champion being robbed of his title.
“I would have preferred to see it end differently, but the race undeniably left its mark on history,” Wolff concluded.
