Martin Brundle feels that the unearthed audio footage moments before Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi is disturbing.
The Verstappen-Hamilton controversy from last year’s season finale is far from over. After months of speculating whether Michael Masi made the right call, new audio and footage from the race has added fuel to fire.
These audio messages were part of a video released to public on December 16, but didn’t make he headlines until now. It provides fans with an unfiltered conversation between Red Bull Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley and Masi.
The former appeared to be asking the race director to allow all cars in front of Verstappen to pass the safety car. After that, he suggests that Masi restart the race right before the final lap. It was something which the Aussie ended up doing.
Whether Masi would’ve done the same if Wheatley hadn’t interfered, no one knows. But racing figures and journalists around the world admit that the footage is disturbing. Former F1 driver and Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle himself claims that listening to it was ‘really uncomfortable’.
“It’s not new news. And also I think you have to understand that it’s not necessarily telling Michael Masi something he didn’t already know,” Brundle said.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes fans will be very upset, says Martin Brundle
Hamilton fans already felt that the Brit was robbed of his eighth world title two months ago. However, with the latest footage going around, they are bound to be even more upset.
“Of course it’s really uncomfortable. And a lot of people are unhappy. Lewis Hamilton fans, Mercedes fans,” Brundle continued.
“And you don’t even have to be a Lewis Hamilton fan to think that forever he should be an eight-time world champion. Because, for me, the really crucial regulation that wasn’t carried out was that the safety car should have come in at the end of the following lap.”
Toto requests to Masi over SC usage, isn’t followed. Wheatley requests to Masi let lapped cars overtake, is followed.
Thing is, would Masi have made that decision anyway, without the lobbying?
IMO he would, he wanted the last lap shootout. Correlation doesn’t imply causation. https://t.co/G906XdwVA3
— Tommo (@TwommoF1) February 9, 2022
“Hugely unacceptable. I met so many fans that were new to F11 last year particularly. And fans in general. That were hugely upset by what happened.”
“It’s not pretty for Formula 1 at all. But I don’t think this audio today changes the really uncomfortable narrative of what happened.”
