Almost two years have passed since the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix, but Mercedes still has the events of Yas Marina that cost Lewis Hamilton his eighth title well engraved in their memory – with the ill-advised decision of then race director Michael Masi regarding the end of the safety car period on the last lap.
This year, Mercedes arrives in Abu Dhabi fighting for second place in the Constructors’ Championship with Ferrari, with only four points ahead. The executive director and team principal, Toto Wolff, did not fail to take a dig at Masi, stating quoted by RacingNews365.com: ‘We are practically tied in points, we have a suitable race director, so he should be fine. So, we will compete, everything depends on the last weekend’.
About the balance of power with Ferrari, the Austrian commented: ‘Ferrari is very fast, they have done a good job. I thought we could be on par [at the Las Vegas GP], but the results show something different, so we will compete. Honestly, it’s good to have second place as a positive end to the season, but second or third place doesn’t particularly excite me anyway’.
