Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has blasted Michael Masi as a liability who disrespected the drivers. It is well documented how the Australian played a significant role in determining who won the 2021 F1 world title.
Throughout the campaign, Masi made some contentious decisions but none more so than in the closing stages of the Abu Dhabi GP last December. Wolff, who is still sore from the events of the controversial title decider four month ago, has spoken about the 44-year-old’s time as race director, revealing he had lunch with him before last season’s final race.
"It is quite interesting because I had lunch with him [Masi] on the Wednesday before the race, and I said to him that 'I really want to tell you, without patronising you, that you need to take criticism on board and develop from there,” he said. “Lewis does it every day, but you are a guy who always seems to know better.
"You hear from the drivers and how the drivers' briefings were conducted [by Masi] and some of the guys said it was almost disrespectful how he treated some of them. He was just immune to any feedback and even today he has not properly reflected that he did something wrong.
"He was a liability for the sport because everybody kept talking about Abu Dhabi and the race director, and the race director should not be somebody that people talk about, but someone who does the job and makes sure the race is run according to the regulations." As 2021's final race neared its conclusion, Masi initially instructed that lapped cars could not overtake the safety car until it left the track.
Therefore, there would not have been time for Max Verstappen to get behind Lewis Hamilton after a crash involving Nicholas Latifi towards the end of the race. However, Masi controversially changed his mind, allowing the cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves before ordering the safety car off the track.
Therefore, the 24-year-old could get on the British driver's tail before overtaking him in a one-lap shootout, benefiting from driving on far newer tyres and went on to claim his maiden world championship. Last month Wolff claimed he does not wish to speak to Masi ever again. In the Sky Sports “Duel: Hamilton vs Verstappen,” documentary, the Austrian shares exactly how he feels about Masi.
“I haven’t spoken to him and I don’t want to speak to him ever again,” he added. “His decisions were wrong and I’m sure that he regrets them. The FIA should have seen much earlier that there was a problem. There was a problem with the structure. There was a problem of personalities.” Wolff used a football analogy to explain Masi’s decision at the Yas Marina Circuit.
“It’s like a football game that is 1-0 for one team and suddenly the referee says, ‘now it’s golden goal. 0-0, whoever scores the next goal wins,’” he stated. "And by the way, we have to play without boots.'” Masi's decision ultimately cost him his job, and he has been replaced by Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, who are alternating as race director, with Herbie Blash serving as their senior advisor.
