Toto Wolff outlines how to fix F1 and insists it will take more than ‘just replacing the race director’
Michael Masi made controversial decisions at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which Mercedes felt cost them a title and led to Max Verstappen’s glory
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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says Formula 1 needs to implement more changes than just “replacing the race director”.
The sport has been put under a microscope due to the controversial circumstances of the conclusion of the 2021 season. Lewis Hamilton was overtaken in the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by Max Verstappen after some cars were told to unlap themselves by race director Michael Masi.
Fans and some drivers hit out at the decision and it’s caused many to call for change in the sport.
“It’s a bigger problem, my values are simply not compatible with the decisions that were made,” said Wolff per the Spanish branch of Motorsport.com.
“It is not just about replacing the race director. The whole decision-making system must be improved. It’s one thing to drive hard and have different points of view between drivers and teams, that’s normal. But inconsistent decisions inevitably lead to controversy, much of it totally unnecessary.”
Wolff did concede that throughout the season Mercedes had been “luckier” when it came to some decisions made by officials.
But he added: “But this last decision had the biggest impact, and from a sports perspective, it was catastrophic because it decided the World Championship.”
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