Toto Wolff Unleashes Fury on ‘Lunatic’ Michael Masi for Sabotaging Lewis Hamilton’s Historic Title Bid
In a stunning display of frustration, Toto Wolff has gone on the offensive, condemning former Formula 1 Race Director Michael Masi as a “lunatic” for allegedly ruining Lewis Hamilton’s shot at a record-breaking eighth World Championship. The echoes of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix still resonate in the motorsport world, with Wolff’s ire directed squarely at Masi for his controversial decisions that altered the course of racing history.
Hamilton and rival Max Verstappen were embroiled in a fierce battle for supremacy, culminating in the dramatic finale that was supposed to crown a deserving champion. With Hamilton dominating the race and poised to clinch his eighth title, calamity struck when Nicolas Latifi’s crash on Lap 53 unleashed a cascade of chaos. The deployment of the Safety Car and Masi’s perplexing choice to allow lapped cars to overtake plunged the race into turmoil, granting Verstappen—equipped with fresh tires—a golden opportunity to seize victory on the final lap.
Wolff’s reaction was one of sheer disbelief and fury, as he confronted Masi over the radio, insisting that the race director’s actions were “so not right.” Masi’s cold retort, “it was a motor race,” did nothing to quell the storm, and soon after, he was ousted from his position as the FIA acknowledged that “human error” had led to this infamous debacle.
In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Wolff reflected on the traumatic events of that night, revealing the deep scars left by Masi’s misjudgment. “I have not experienced the loss of control of a situation since I was a child,” he lamented. “There is one lunatic who can basically destroy the record of the greatest champion of all time.”
Adding to the emotional narrative, Susie Wolff, Toto’s wife and an influential figure in her own right, shared her perspective on the fallout from that race. Currently promoting her memoir ‘Driven,’ she recounted the sheer disbelief and heavy burden of witnessing a single individual’s decision sway the course of destiny. “It sat so heavily with me, for a long time afterwards,” she expressed, emphasizing the gravity of Masi’s rule interpretation that had never been seen before.
However, Susie was quick to clarify her feelings towards Verstappen, affirming that her discontent was not directed at him, but rather at the circumstances surrounding the race. “I was so upset in Abu Dhabi, and not because Max won. He was a deserving champion. It’s nothing against Max,” she stated earnestly. “It was the way it happened. The fact that Lewis was so deserving on that day. He was the better driver. He was winning that race.”
As the dust settles on this monumental controversy, the implications of Masi’s actions continue to ripple through the sport, leaving fans and participants alike questioning the integrity of the race. The fallout from Abu Dhabi will undoubtedly remain a pivotal chapter in Formula 1 history, as Wolff and the Wolff family continue to bear witness to the consequences of that fateful decision.
