Mercedes' Toto Wolff slams F1 'liability' Michael Masi after title controversy sacking

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has lambasted sacked Formula 1 race director Michael Masi, calling him a ‘liability’ to the series.

Masi was responsible for the running of F1 races until his removal, and it was his unprecedented interpretation of the safety car rules at the Abu Dhabi season finale last December which resulted in Lewis Hamilton being rendered a sitting duck, essentially gifting the title to Max Verstappen after the pair had contested one of the most intensely-fought championship fights in the seven decade history of F1.

The FIA removed Masi from his role in February after conducting an investigation into the running of the race at Yas Marina, and Wolff was pictured smiling when he left the London meeting of the F1 Commission where Masi’s fate was decided.

Now, Wolff has revealed he organised lunch with Masi in Abu Dhabi a few days before the race, in order to advise him to take feedback from teams and drivers on board.

‘It is quite interesting, because I had lunch with [Masi] on the Wednesday before the race,” Wolff explained to the Press Association. ‘I said to him that, “I really want to tell you, without patronising you, that you need to take criticism on board and develop from there. Lewis does it every day, but you are guy who always seems to know better”. It wasn’t about influencing him, but really giving my honest feedback that he shouldn’t block outside opinion as simply being wrong.’

It was newly-elected FIA president Mohamed Ben Sulayem who ultimately made the call to replace Masi, with new alternating race directors taking his place. Niels Wittich, who has moved across from the equivalent role in the DTM series, has taken charge of the opening three rounds of the 2022 campaign, while Eduardo