McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl admits that his team has been very pleased with how F1 race director Michael Masi dealt with things.
Masi has been under fire recently with how he handled the last few laps of the Abu Dhabi GP. His decision making saw Lewis Hamilton lose out on his 8th World Title to Max Verstappen in the blink of an eye.
Several current and former drivers have criticized the Australian race official but few have spoke out in support. 2-time F1 Champion Mika Hakkinen was one of the prominent names to defend Masi. The latest person to do so has been McLaren’s team principal Andreas Seidl.
Seidl praised the race director for being open and transparent during his time in the job. The German went on to say that dealing with a high-pressure Championship battle isn’t an easy thing to do.
Also read: Susie Wolff launches a scathing attack on the FIA after Abu Dhabi GP title race controversy
“From our point of view without commenting now on what happened in Abu Dhabi we appreciate the open and transparent dialogue we had all year, and also in previous years with Michael.” said Seidl.
“And we were really happy also with the way how he is dealing with things. Not just with us but in general, with all the teams in the paddock.”
“So I think we need to be very careful that this intense battle for the championship, which was very intense on and off-track, that triggered obviously a lot of heated comments as well, is not giving the wrong picture also of the reality.”
The McLaren boss shares his thoughts on Masi being compared to his predecessor
After the Saudi Arabian GP earlier this month, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was in hot water with Masi. Horner suggested that the sport missed it’s former race director Charlie Whiting. A lot of people seem to agree to that.
Seidl on the other hand said that comparing something that’s happening currently to events of the past is absurd.
Andreas Seidl has come to the defence of Michael Masi:
“Without commenting on what happened [in Abu Dhabi] we appreciate the open and transparent dialogue we had all year, and in previous years, with Michael”.
— formularacers (@formularacers_) December 17, 2021
“Again from our point of view, we’re very happy with how Michael is dealing with us, he’s asking for our input, always has an open ear for improvements as well. That’s how I see it.”
“I think it’s also not fair to make comments like in the past everything was different and better. I think it is good now, and it was good in the past.”
“It is a very tricky job to be race director in such an intense battle that we have seen this year. I think that is something you need to keep in mind.” the McLaren chief concluded.
Also read: Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits he is trying to convince Lewis Hamilton to come back to F1 next year
