Wolff’s “pathological egomaniac” Masi remark shows F1 Abu Dhabi 2021 wounds remain

Masi came under fire for the way he handled the closing stages of the 2021 season finale, where he ended the safety car period just in time to enable a final-lap showdown between title rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.

It allowed Red Bull driver Verstappen, who was on fresher tyres, to make a last-gasp pass on Mercedes rival Hamilton for the lead and with it clinch his maiden drivers’ crown.

The critics felt Masi had not followed the rules in Abu Dhabi on two counts, having neither allowed all lapped cars to unlap themselves nor left enough of a gap until the restart.

The FIA conducted an investigation into his handling of the race and concluded that he had acted in “good faith”, even if there was a “human error” on his part in not letting all lapped cars rejoin the back of the field.

Masi was dropped from his post as F1’s race director even before the investigation had been completed and later split with the FIA altogether, with the governing body going on to make a number of changes to its procedure in order to avoid a repeat of the incident.

Although the furore regarding the 2021 title decider has died down over the years, in part due to Red Bull’s dominance under new regulations and Mercedes’ subsequent decline in form, the Yas Marina race remains one of the most controversial events in recent sporting history.

In an interview conducted last year for The Formula book, Wolff once again hit out at the Australian, saying it is “unfair” how his actions tilted the title battle away from Hamilton.

“When I keep my thoughts running with it, it’s so unfair what happened to Lewis and the team that day, that a single individual breaking the rules has basically let that happen,” Wolff said.

“Even though he’s completely irrelevant: he lives on the other side of the world and nobody is interested in him.

“He was really a total, pathological egomaniac.”

In its investigation, the FIA noted that Masi had taken into account the desires of F1 stakeholders, including teams, to end races under green-flag conditions and avoid anti-climactic safety car finishes.

Wolff admitted there was a showbiz element to that year’s Abu Dhabi finale, but feels Hamilton was “robbed” of a record eight drivers’ title in a move that left a lasting impact on the history of F1.

“It’s the drama and glory, which makes the sport so compelling,” he said. “Everyone saw the drama of a worthy eight-time world…