Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff aims fresh Michael Masi jibe ahead of Abu Dhabi GP

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff still has not forgiven former race director Michael Masi for how he handled the Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen drama which cost the former a championship title.

Back in 2021 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Masi's decision to not end the final race of the season under a safety car allowed Verstappen to overtake Hamilton with ease on the last lap, securing the first F1 Driver's Championship title of the Dutchman's career.

Since then, Red Bull's Verstappen has gone on to claim two more world titles, having won the last two championships with ease. Last weekend, he claimed his 18th win of the 2023 F1 season at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

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However, Wolff has clearly not forgotten about the incident which unfolded just over two years ago in Abu Dhabi. And speaking to the media following the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the Mercedes team boss took an opportunity to take aim once again at Masi by claiming this time around, the Abu Dhabi race has a "proper race director".

"We’re going there on pretty much equal points, we have a proper race director, so that should be fine," the Mercedes F1 boss told the media.

What do you make of Toto Wolff's fresh jibe at Michael Masi? Let us know in the comments section below.

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"Then let’s race, it’s all down to the last weekend. [Ferrari] are very quick, they’ve done a good job, I think we could have been on par [in Las Vegas], but the result shows something different so let’s race."

And it isn't the first time Wolff has come out publicly to chastise Masi. Just months after the Abu Dhabi controversy last year, Wolff called the ex-F1 race director a "liability."

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"He was just immune to any feedback and even today he has not properly reflected that he did something wrong," said Wolff back in April 2022.

"He was a liability for the sport because everybody kept talking about Abu Dhabi and the race director, and the race director should not be somebody that people talk about, but someone who does the job and makes sure the race is run according to the regulations."

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