Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff has branded Michael Masi a “pathological egomaniac” regarding the rogue actions that cost Lewis Hamilton the title back in 2021.
Hamilton had been on course to win the final race of that season in Abu Dhabi which would have seen him beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to the Drivers’ Championship.
But Masi breached the restart regulations under a Safety Car on the penultimate lap by allowing the lapped cars between the two title protagonists to unlap themselves.
Rather than following the rulebook in waiting an extra lap to restart the race, Masi initiated a last-lap shootout that saw Verstappen on fresh tyres pass Hamilton at Turn 5.
Mercedes would appeal the decision that denied Hamilton a record-breaking eighth title, but the Stewards dismissed the complaint and Verstappen was named champion.
Looking back on the incident in Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg’s book ‘The Formula’, Wolff has criticised Masi for the decision that saw him removed from his role.
“When I think about it again, it’s so unfair what happened to Lewis and the team that day,” Wolff said as quoted via RacingNews365.
“And that one individual didn’t follow the rules and just let it happen.”
He added: “He is a totally unimportant person: he lives on the other side of the world and nobody is interested in him. He really was an utter pathological egomaniac.”
Although Wolff is adamant he won’t forgive Masi for his deed on that night at the Yas Marina Circuit, he accepts the dramatic ending will remain etched in F1 folklore.
“It is drama and glory. This is what makes the sport so irresistible,” the Austrian, 52, added.
“Everyone saw the drama of an eight-time World Champion being robbed of his title. I would have preferred to see it end differently, but the race undeniably left its mark on history.”
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