Toto Wolff still thinks Michael Masi is an “idiot” despite two years passing since the events of the infamous 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. During that fateful race, Masi, the then race director, controversially only allowed cars between Max Verstappen (on fresh tires) and Lewis Hamilton to unlap after a late Safety Car. This decision would help Verstappen win his maiden title while denying Hamilton his record eighth.
GPBlog.com quoted Wolff as saying, “I don’t want to waste a minute [thinking] about the reasons [why it happened], because that would give the man (Masi) too much credit. He is just an idiot who made the wrong decision.”
The events of Abu Dhabi 2021 had huge ramifications for the sport. The FIA even came out with a statement terming the race result as a “human error”. Shortly after, Masi then also lost his role as the race director. Even to this day, many paddock insiders have denounced Masi for his actions during the championship decider two years ago.
The sport of F1 isn’t devoid of controversies. However, the way the events transpired during the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP have arguably resulted in it being the biggest controversy in recent history.
Michael Masi almost ended Lewis Hamilton’s F1 career
Recently, Lewis Hamilton was quizzed about that fateful night at the Yas Marina Circuit. Naturally, the memories he holds of that night aren’t fond by any stretch of the imagination. But in the immediate aftermath, he was about to make an impulsive decision.
When asked if he thought about retiring, Hamilton revealed, “For sure, yeah. There was so much going through my mind during that period in time. But I think one of the worst things you can do is make decisions based on emotions, because when you are emotional and in the heat of that moment, more often than not, you’re not going to make the best decisions.”
Despite that gut-wrenching defeat, the Briton chose to stick around. He was motivated to get back to the very pinnacle of this sport. Two years on, his journey is still ongoing. But in 2024, Hamilton would hope to finally dethrone Max Verstappen and claim that elusive eighth title.
