Mario Andretti backs Michael Masi over Abu Dhabi fiasco

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix of 2021 will live long in the memory of both Formula 1 and general sports fans, such was the intrigue going into the event and, indeed, the drama that came out of it.

The final few laps of the Grand Prix will be remembered for years to come with the furore and controversy that was produced as a result, with Race Director Michael Masi the unfortunate party to be at the centre of the storm.

Indeed, the Australian has taken plenty of flak for his decisions amid the pressure of sorting the final laps of the race out behind the Safety Car, but in ex-F1 champ Mario Andretti he appears to have some backing.

Speaking to Planet F1, the American motor racing legend threw his weight behind the beleaguered Race Director:

“I would have done exactly the same thing. It’s as simple as that.

“Okay, there’s been a lot of talk that the race should have been red-flagged. Well, you know what? This accident happened with six laps to go. Under normal circumstances, the track should have been cleared in two laps easily, and then you allow the backmarkers to unlap themselves. But unfortunately, in Formula 1 you have to depend on locals to do the safety work and they were very slow in cleaning up the situation.”

“This is one time when I really think Michael Masi did the right decision to just allow the lapped cars to unlap themselves that were in front of the top five competitors and then to make sure the race was finished under the green, because this was the most anticipated race of the season from a beautiful season and for that race to end behind the Safety Car would have been a tragedy in my opinion, and this way created the excitement. It was racing and it was fair.

“You can never predict what will happen during a