It seems Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is yet to make amends with former Australian, F1 race director Michael Masi and perhaps never will, with Wolff claiming he “doesn’t want to speak to him again”.
Masi was ultimately held responsible for the controversial ending to last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which orchestrated a final lap shootout between Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for the championship.
To prevent the title-decider from finishing behind a safety car, Masi mishandled race restart procedures which at the chequered flag benefited Verstappen on fresher tyres and denied Hamilton a record-breaking eighth F1 world title.
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After an inquiry into the events, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem last month announced that Masi would be sacked as race director, with a new stewards system coming into effect.
In Sky Sports’ new documentary, Duel: Hamilton vs Verstappen, Wolff shared his aggrieved feelings towards Masi.
“I haven’t spoken to him and I don’t want to speak to him ever again,” he said.
“His decisions were wrong and I’m sure that he regrets them. The FIA should have seen much earlier that there was a problem.
“There was a problem with the structure. There was a problem of personalities.”
After the dramatic conclusion at the Yas Marina Circuit, Hamilton was heard on his team radio saying the race had been “manipulated” and Wolff echoed his thoughts.
“It’s like a football game that is 1-0 for one team and suddenly the referee says, ‘now it’s golden goal. 0-0, whoever scores the next goal wins,'” he said.
“‘And by the way, we have to play without boots.'”
Masi has been replaced by Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, who will alternate as race director.