Nearly three years after the dramatic conclusion of the 2021 Formula 1 season, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff continues to grapple with the controversial events that unfolded that year at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The sport’s season finale ended in chaos during the closing laps of the race after a late safety car brought the field together.
Then FIA race director Michael Masi made the unusual call to allow only a select few lapped cars between leader Lewis Hamilton and his title rival, Max Verstappen, to un-lap themselves, setting up a single-lap shootout between the two drivers that favored the Dutchman who was on fresher tyres.
The decision allowed Verstappen to breeze past Hamilton and clinch his first World Championship, denying the Briton a historic eighth title in what became one of the most contentious moments in Formula 1 history.
In a recent appearance on the High Performance Podcast hosted by Jake Humphrey, Wolff opened up on his lingering feelings about Masi, the infamous race-day decision, and its lasting impact on him, the team, and Hamilton.
The Austrian’s comments reveal a complex mix of frustration, understanding, and reflection.
"I felt angry, not depressed or sad, just angry that an individual was able to take away an eighth championship from the best driver in the world by a bad decision," Wolff explained.
"But you have to put it into context, there are dictators around the world and politicians that cause so much pain that it is in no way comparable to Lewis losing the eighth title or for us as a team.”
Hamilton, who was personally affected by Masi’s choice, has also had to work through these emotions, according to Wolff.
"The anger of that moment of a person… But even Lewis learned to manage his emotions very strongly and after a few days was in an okay space.
"It still goes with us because of the unfairness that happened on this particular day."
Wolff revealed that throughout the 2021 season, he made several attempts to guide Masi, hoping to support him in his role as race director and help him avoid precisely such a damaging situation.
After the sudden passing of beloved race director Charlie Whiting in 2019, Masi had stepped into a high-stakes, high-pressure role, and Wolff saw value in sharing his own experience and perspective with him.
“I really tried to speak with Michael and guide him throughout the year,” the Mercedes chief explained, describing how he sought to counsel Masi to approach his job with openness and receptivity to drivers’ feedback.
“I tried to say: ‘Listen, I’ve been in the sport a long time, listen to the drivers, don’t be stubborn in your decision-making.’”
Wolff’s intentions were not only to ensure fairer racing but also to protect his team from being at the mercy of a single, potentially flawed decision that could have major consequences.
“I tried that for the good of the sport and obviously for us as a team as to not be vulnerable to situations that could be totally detrimental, so in that sense, what happened is inexcusable,” he added.
Former FIA race director Michael Masi.
"Now, you could say the empathy should make me realise how he feels. I realise how he feels and I know that is not good, but he could have thought about it all year and there were people, not only me, trying to support him in the right way.
"Sometimes you just have to admit that someone is just doing his own thing or making his own decisions, so I don't care about it anymore.”
Despite his lingering frustrations, Wolff is clear that he has moved on, albeit with a firm belief in Hamilton’s unmatched legacy and rightful place at the top of the sport.
“I mainly think about it because Lewis deserved to be the greatest of all time with eight world championship titles,” he concluded, reiterating that the disappointment of the 2021 season finale is something that cannot be erased but can, with time, be processed.
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