© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
Former FIA President Jean Todt was contacted by Toto Wolff and Christian Horner immediately after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Back in 2021 title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen entered the final race of the season equal on points, and until the last few laps of the race it seemed almost certain that Hamilton would emerge as the winner and an eight-time champion.
The Briton completely dominated up to that point, Verstappen was helpless, and then Williams’ Nicolas Latifi crashed on lap 53 of 58, which brought out the Safety Car.
To keep a long story short, the race director at the time, Michael Masi, made a series of decisions which went completely against the rules, and basically handed Verstappen the title on a silver platter.
Immediately after the race Mercedes decided to protest these decisions, and after the protest was dismissed by the stewards, they announced their intention to appeal. However, a few days later the team decided not to go through with it.
A recent Canal Plus documentary revealed that Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and Red Bull team boss Christian Horner both contacted FIA President Jean Todt in the immediate aftermath of the race, while he was watching the whole thing unfold from his home in Paris.
“Toto, you must see with the stewards,” Todt told Wolff.
“I followed everything, but I don’t have the elements to answer you. You must listen to the stewards and understand what happened.”
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After this conversation, he received a call from Horner.
“Hi Christian, congratulations so far,” the FIA President said.
“I understand that there are some protests around. Anyway, what a race and congratulations on your strategy, amazing!”
Now in a talk with Corriere dela Sera, Todt explained his communication with Wolff and Horner.
“I didn’t do anything, it’s not the role of the president of the FIA,” he said.
“Referees must be autonomous. Have you ever heard [FIFA president Gianni] Infantino say: ‘Here there was a penalty, and here there was not.’
“In the documentary you can see that I’m watching that race in the country house.
“Horner and Wolff call me and to them I reply: ‘I can’t interfere, it’s the responsibility of the stewards and the race director’,” Todt concluded.
