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Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has admitted that events in Abu Dhabi in 2021 still occupy his mind at times, although more doubts than “anger”.
The story is now widely known, with the race restarting for the final lap in controversial circumstances after the safety car was called, with FIA race director Michael Massey appearing to be defying the governing body’s guidance for lap cars to pass the safety car in doing so. Simultaneously.
The move allowed Max Verstappen, sitting behind Lewis Hamilton on fresher, softer tyres, to overtake the Mercedes driver on the final lap of the 2021 season, Wolff told Massey via team radio. Shouting: “No Michael, no, this is so wrong!”, while Hamilton claimed the result had been “rigged”.
The Red Bull driver went on to win the title despite the FIA removing Massi from his position following a review by Formula 1’s governing body of decisions surrounding the final laps. He eventually left the FIA entirely to become independent chairman of his home state’s Australian Supercars Commission.
While the flames of the controversy have been extinguished over time, the Mercedes team principal admitted that the day at Yas Marina still often comes to his mind.
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“It was tough after Abu Dhabi,” admits Wolff era“I’ve always liked the principle that the stopwatch never lies; the winning team is the deserving champion.
“But this time was different. At the end of the game, one guy made decisions that were not reflected anywhere in the rule book, and those decisions were so drastic that the results were unbelievable.
“That’s the moment when you stop loving the game … the principles of fairness are broken.
“The FIA fired the guy because it was a human error. But it’s done and dusted now. I still think about it a lot, but not angry; just can’t understand how it happened.”
Mercedes and Hamilton are looking to recapture the drivers’ and constructors’ titles in 2023, with the team’s eight-year constructors’ title ended by Red Bull last season after arch-rivals claimed 17 victories from 22 races. Look for a record-breaking eighth drivers’ title.
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