Mercedes’ Toto Wolff discusses his enduring frustration over 2021’s Abu Dhabi finale, calling the outcome an “inexcusable” and “avoidable” injustice.
Toto Wolff was once again asked about the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi. The Mercedes F1 boss, with time to reflect, provided a measured assessment of Michael Masi’s error that handed the title to Max Verstappen, and of how Lewis Hamilton and the team felt after this injustice.
“I felt angry—not depressed or sad, just angry that an individual could strip the best driver in the world of an eighth championship through a bad decision,” Wolff stated on the High Performance Podcast.
“But we need to put things in context: there are dictators in the world and politicians who cause so much pain that it’s not remotely comparable to losing an eighth title for Lewis or for us as a team.”
“But the anger at that moment was real, and even Lewis learned to manage his emotions very well. After a few days, he was in the right mindset, though we still feel it because of the injustice that occurred that day.”
Michael Masi had already been highly controversial for various decisions since he took over race control. Issues included slow responses to incidents and restarting a session in Turkey while a crane was still on track.
Wolff had repeatedly noted and reported Masi’s errors, to no avail. Given the guidance he had tried to offer, he considers the Abu Dhabi mistake unforgivable.
“I really tried to talk with Michael and guide him throughout the year. I tried to tell him, ‘Look, I’ve been in this sport a long time, listen to the drivers, don’t dig in on your decisions.’”
“I did it for the good of the sport, and obviously for us as a team, so that we wouldn’t be vulnerable to situations that could be entirely damaging. In that sense, what happened is inexcusable.”
“I know how he feels, and I know it’s not good, but he could have considered it all year, and there were people—not just me—who tried to support him in the right way.”
“Sometimes you have to accept that someone does what they want or makes their own decisions, so I don’t dwell on it anymore. I mainly think about it because Lewis deserved to be the greatest of all time with eight world championship titles.”
As he has mentioned before, Wolff regrets not calling Jos Verstappen to check on Max after the Silverstone crash: “Those guys were fighting wheel to wheel, not just on the first lap, but all season long, and I think that’s when both decided they wouldn’t yield that corner.”
“And it ended in a situation where, fortunately, Max wasn’t injured. I’ve already said, I could have reacted better, as I heard one of Red Bull’s engineers say he was fine. I thought, ‘Check the box, Max is okay,’ and we won the race without him scoring points.”
“It was crucial for the championship comeback. I felt the conduct wasn’t always exemplary, and looking back, I should have picked up the phone and called Jos to ask if he was okay. Jos would have certainly told me what he thought of the situation, but that’s perfectly fine.”
“But I should have, as a father, called the father of the driver and asked, which I didn’t do. There were many other incidents that year that didn’t meet the standards we all expect from each other.”
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Toto Wolff on 2021 Title Loss: “Masi’s Call Unforgivable” Toto Wolff on 2021 Title Loss: “Masi’s Call Unforgivable”
