Toto Wolff labels Michael Masi a ‘liability’ who was ‘disrespectful’ to F1 drivers

Wolff has said that Masi was abusive towards race promoters and ‘immune to any feedback’

Michael Masi was removed as race director ahead of the 2022 Formula 1 season (Getty Images)

Toto Wolff has described Michael Masi as a “liability” and accused the former Formula 1 race director of being “almost disrespectful” towards drivers.

The Australian was removed from his role ahead of the 2022 F1 season as part of the fallout from the controversial ending to last season.

Masi’s contentious interventions late on at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix enabled Max Verstappen to launch a last-lap, title-winning move to overtake rival Lewis Hamilton.

It denied Hamilton a record eighth world title, and Mercedes team principal Wolff was prominent in criticising Masi’s involvement.

An FIA investigation into events at the Jeddah Circuit led to changes to the race directing role, with Masi replaced by a two-pronged team of Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, assisted by veteran Herbie Blash.

Wolff has now revealed that he warned Masi that the erstwhile race director needed to “take criticism on board” ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but says that the 44-year-old was “immune to any feedback”.

Wolff said to the Press Association: “I had lunch with him [Masi] on the Wednesday before the race, and 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.

“He was just immune to any feedback and even today he has not properly reflected that he did something wrong.”

The FIA have suggested that Masi will be reassigned elsewhere in the organisation after his ousting.

Masi stepped up into the role of race director after the sudden passing of Charlie Whiting ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in 2019.

Wolff believes that the Australian’s problems extended beyond just his race-day direction.

“You hear from the drivers and how the drivers’ briefings were conducted [by Masi] and some of the guys said it was almost disrespectful how he treated some of them,” Wolff revealed.

“There is a promoter of one of the races in the Middle East who said he was so relieved he had gone because he got so much abuse from him.

“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.”