Wolff: I warned Masi against being 'stubborn, arrogant' before 2021 title controversy

Toto Wolff has revealed he repeatedly warned Michael Masi not to be "stubborn" or "arrogant" during the 2021 season, saying he tried to guide the former race director before the controversial Abu Dhabi title decider. Masi's safety car call forced a final-lap restart that allowed Max Verstappen to pass Lewis Hamilton and deny the Mercedes driver a record eighth championship.

Why it matters:

The Abu Dhabi finale remains one of F1's most contentious moments and led to Masi's removal. His recent return to motorsport with SRO Motorsports Australia keeps the debate alive.

The details:

• Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, Wolff said his overriding emotion was pure anger: "Not anything like depressed or sad. Just angry."
• He described it as a decision that took an eighth championship away from "the best driver in the world."
• Wolff said he offered Masi counsel throughout the year: "Listen, I've been in the sport for a long time, listen to the drivers, don't always be stubborn in your decision making, don't be arrogant."
• He called the outcome "inexcusable," adding that many people tried to support Masi, but he kept making his own decisions.

What's next:

Wolff says Masi is "no longer relevant" and claims to have moved on emotionally. Yet he thinks about Abu Dhabi every week, because "Lewis deserved to be the greatest of all time with eight world championship titles." While acknowledging both drivers were deserving champions, Wolff insists "on that particular afternoon in Abu Dhabi, it was unfair."