The controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi GP has returned to haunt F1, and it is just getting uglier.

via Imago

Lewis Hamilton recently went all out in criticizing F1 for the first time over the ’21 finale. “Was I Robbed? Obviously?, the 7-time champion told GQ (8-time, if it wasn’t for then-Race Director Michael Masi). Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff, who had called Michael Masi an “idiot” in 2023, has gone a step further to insult the disgraced Australian.

Hamilton described the wretched ’21 loss to Max Verstappen as “the day that hurt the most”. Wolff, who has been not just his boss but a close friend for over a decade, empathizes deeply with him. 1 lap separated the Mercedes Star from breaking Michael Schumacher’s record to be called the ‘Best F1 driver ever’. Alas, Masi’s controversial decision crowned Verstappen as the new Champion of the World.

“When I think back on it, it’s very unfair what happened to Lewis and the team that day,” an agitated Toto Wolff told Motorsport. “That individual (Michael Masi) did not follow the rules and let all that happen. He is a totally inconsequential person: he lives on the other side of the world and no one is interested in (him). He really was a pathological egomaniac .”

Though he showed his dislike for the former race director publicly, he does understand why that race still occupies a special place in the minds of fans. Yet, he remains saddened by the “8-time World Champion” Lewis Hamilton losing.

Toto Wolff sympathizes with “8-time world champion” Lewis Hamilton

12 December, 2021 remains a pivotal day in the history of F1. Fans who were fed up with Hamilton’s dominance rejoiced that Max Verstappen won. But Toto Wolff, who was on the verge of pushing his star over the line for a record-breaking World Championship, was devastated.

“It’s drama and glory,” the Mercedes Team Principal says. “This is what makes this sport so irresistible. Everyone saw the drama that an eight-time world champion… (they) took the title away from him. I would have preferred it to end differently, but it is undeniable that the race left its mark on history.”