Toto Wolff said he had not experienced the \u201closs of control of a situation\u201d since childhood, yet, that changed in the Lewis Hamilton versus Max Verstappen title showdown.<\/p>\n
That 2021 championship decider in Abu Dhabi will forever be remembered as one of the most controversial races in Formula 1 history, and the stance of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff towards then FIA race director Michael Masi has not softened.<\/p>\n
Lewis Hamilton record \u2018destroyed\u2019 by \u2018lunatic\u2019 Michael Masi<\/p>\n
A \u201clunatic\u201d is how Wolff described Masi in a new interview with The Telegraph, someone who Wolff says robbed Hamilton<\/a>, \u201cthe greatest champion of all time\u201d, of his record.<\/p>\n Hamilton and Verstappen treated us to one of the most iconic championship battles in Formula 1 history in 2021. It was a season of thrilling wheel-to-wheel combat, polarising collisions, and tension which spread throughout the Mercedes and Red Bull camps.<\/p>\n It all came to a head in Abu Dhabi, where it looked as though Hamilton was on his way to a record eighth World Championship. But, that entire story was flipped on its head by a late Safety Car, and Masi\u2019s controversial interpretation of the rules. The end result was Verstappen winning his first title.<\/p>\n Wolff had \u201cnot experienced the loss of control of a situation since I was a child\u201d, but that changed in this moment. There were question marks over whether Hamilton would ever return to Formula 1 after that season, one which soon after Masi departed the F1 race director role.<\/p>\n Hamilton did come back, though has been unable to challenge again for that record eighth crown since.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is one lunatic who can basically destroy the record of the greatest champion of all time,\u201d said Wolff in a fresh shot aimed at Masi.<\/p>\n More on Lewis Hamilton and Michael Masi from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Lewis Hamilton: The new superstar that Formula 1 was looking for<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 What happened to Michael Masi? Abu Dhabi 2021\u2019s controversial race director<\/a><\/p>\n Hamilton left Mercedes at the end of 2024 to begin a new chapter with Ferrari. That move is yet to engineer a return to title-contending ways, while Mercedes has also been left on the outside looking in as Verstappen strives to deny McLaren the title double.<\/p>\n The fact that McLaren has won back-to-back Constructors\u2019 titles, and remains favourite to win the F1 2025 Drivers\u2019 crown via either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri, is something which Wolff cannot pretend does not sting.<\/p>\n \u201cSomebody else is collecting the trophies at the end of the season, and that hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n McLaren has done all this with the Mercedes engine in the back of their car.<\/p>\n Should Norris or Piastri win the F1 2025 crown, it would be a first World Championship. Norris ended Piastri\u2019s extensive tenure at the top of the standings<\/a> with a dominant win in Mexico, but despite Piastri losing P1 having fallen into a performance rut, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella gave fresh hope.<\/p>\n \u201cI think both Lando and Oscar go into the final four races with reasons to be confident,\u201d he told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets in Mexico, \u201cand I think the team also, going to the final four races with more understanding of how to extract performance from the car consistently.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause over the last few races before Mexico, at times, we have left some performance in the garage.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n