The one man who really got affected after the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is Michael Masi. Not only the rivals and Max Verstappen but also the F1 director was involved in Hamilton’s defeat two years ago. Just when Lewis Hamilton was about to break Michael Schumacher’s record, setting another record for 8 titles, he got a plot twist ahead. And the plot twist was initiated by none other than Michael Masi. The director made a wrong decision in the closing lap. This made Verstappen take advantage of it to beat Lewis Hamilton in the 2012 world championship.
Michael Masi was fired from his position for the controversy he gave birth in 2021. Everyone except for team Red Bull was furious with the director for allowing only lapped cars between the two championship rivals to unlap themselves. This left the drivers with limited time only for a single lap. As Max Verstappen was on soft tires, he easily overtook Hamilton. And, won the race that was led by the seven-time world champion for the entire time.
As a result, Mercedes fans and boss Toto Wolff protested against such rules. They demanded Michael Masi get punished, and thus he had to take an exit from Formula One. But recently, some reports are emerging suggesting Masi’s return to Formula One within weeks.
Michael Masi Made Wolff Hate The Sport Once
In 2022, Eduardo Freitas and Neils Wittich together fulfilled the vacant seat of Masi. But very shockingly, just ahead of the 2023 Formula One season, two appointments have been scheduled with Michael Masi with FIA. Following the bad performance of the pair, FIA might take a shocking step by recalling the 2012 controversy. According to several reports, FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem has decided to give it a chance to Masi once again. However, this won’t be easy for FIA. they will certainly face the protest of Wolff and Hamilton for Masi’s sensational return.
Meanwhile, when Toto Wolff got to know about FIA’s decision related to Michael Masi, he again tried to give a fresh shot at the former director. Wolff somehow got a deep wound after seeing such an inappropriate thing done in Formula One. Right after Hamilton’s defeat, Wolff smashed his headphones. And now when he gets the information of Masi’s return the Austrian claimed that due to the incident taking place in 2021, he fell out of interest in Formula One.
In an interview with the TIMES, the Mercedes boss said, “I always prefer the principle that the stopwatch never lies. I believe that the team that wins is the one that deserves the championship. But 2021 was different. It was really tough After Dhabi [to believe in such things].” Wolff then recalled the hurtful moments, he explained, “At the end of the race, a person, who is Michael Masi, makes a decision which is not even reflected anywhere in the rule book of Formula One. The decision made an unbelievable outcome possible.” And then the Austrian boss gave a bold statement. He said, “that is the moment when one falls out of love with Formula One.”