Toto Wolff calls Michael Masi an 'error human' in fresh dig at former F1 chief
TOTO WOLFF fired another shot at former FIA race director Michael Masi after his safety car decision cost Lewis Hamilton a record eighth F1 world title in Abu Dhabi.
Mercedes: Toto Wolff says pressure grows EVERY YEAR
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff took aim at former FIA race director Michael Masi once again. The Australian’s dramatic safety car decision cost Lewis Hamilton a record eighth F1 world title last December in Abu Dhabi.
Related articles
And the Silver Arrows team principal is still very hurt by the events that transpired last year and during a talk at Harvard Business School ahead of the US Grand Prix this weekend, he made his feelings for Masi known once again. The FIA acknowledged Masi’s controversial decision as a ‘human error’, and Wolff made light of this by saying: “Human error or an error human.”
This prompted fits of laughter from the audience as the savage remark began to sink in. He went on to say the decision prevented Hamilton from being “an eight-time world champion, the greatest there has ever been.”
As 2021's F1 title decider 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 his rival, after a crash involving Nicholas Latifi towards the end of the race.
JUST IN: Red Bull 'had suspicions raised' after FIA hired Toto Wolff's ex-Mercedes colleague
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 25-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.
There were still more cars that should have been able to unlap themselves, according to the rules. If these rules had been followed, then the race would likely have finished behind a safety car as it was the final lap, and as Hamilton was in the lead, he would have been crowned champion.
Masi’s consequences came with big ramifications as he lost his job and was replaced by Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, who are alternating as race director, with Herbie Blash serving as the senior advisor. Before the 2022 campaign began, a furious Wolff claimed he never wanted to speak to Masi ever again.
In the “Duel: Hamilton vs Verstappen,” documentary, Wolff shared 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.” Masi has since returned to his native Austarlia to spend more time with his family.
