Mercedes driver, George Russell, has made a startling assertion about the former Formula 1 director, Michael Masi. Russell suggests that had Max Verstappen not clinched the contentious 2021 world championship, Masi might have faced a life-threatening situation.
Verstappen’s victory in the championship came under controversial circumstances. Lewis Hamilton, who had been dominating the season, was en route to an unprecedented eighth championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. However, a late Safety Car intervention dramatically altered the course of the race.
Masi’s controversial handling of the restart rules allowed Verstappen to overtake Hamilton in the final lap, securing both the race victory and the championship. This decision sparked widespread fury and ultimately culminated in Masi’s dismissal from his role as race director.
Russell also shared his views on how Verstappen might have reacted had he lost the championship. He contrasted this with Hamilton’s measured response to the loss. “I think he’s been allowed to bully because no one has confronted him,” Russell revealed to the press.
He further commented on Hamilton’s handling of the championship, applauding his hard yet respectful approach. Russell questioned how Verstappen would have reacted had he lost the championship in the way Hamilton did, suggesting that Masi might have faced serious threats.
The context of Russell’s comments was an incident in Qatar, where Verstappen allegedly threatened to harm him after blaming him for a post-qualification penalty. The Mercedes driver also boldly claimed that a quarter of Verstappen’s engineering team was contemplating leaving Red Bull due to internal frustrations.
Russell took a dig at Verstappen’s ability to handle adversity, stating, “He cannot deal with adversity. He’s had the most dominant car in racing history for two and a half years.” He pointed out Verstappen’s collision with Hamilton in Budapest and his criticism of his own team, Red Bull, as examples of his struggles when not in the fastest car.
The Mercedes driver also highlighted that Verstappen had won the same number of races as six other drivers since Austria. To Russell, this was a clear indication that Verstappen was not invincible. He emphasized that when Verstappen was in the most dominant car, he seemed unbeatable – a situation that Russell and Hamilton also found themselves in, during races in Silverstone and Las Vegas. These experiences underscored the importance of the vehicle in a driver’s performance, and the possibility of even the best drivers being beaten when not in the most powerful car.