Masi appears to act on the instructions of a Red Bull chief
New audio has emerged from the final moments of the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which saw Max Vertstappen win a maiden Formula One championship.
Hamilton was beaten to the F1 Drivers’ Championship with just one lap to go as Verstappen won his first title in controversial circumstances.
The Brit looked destined to win the title and become the most successful driver in the history of the sport, until a safety car was called onto the track late in the race when Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barriers.
The race stewards initially stated that any lapped cars would not be allowed to overtake, before reversing the decision and informing the lapped cars that they needed to pass the safety car.
As a result, Hamilton and Verstappen ended up side-by-side, but with the Dutchman possessing the fresher tyres, he eased past the 36-year-old to win the championship.
Many viewers felt uneasy at the manner in which the Dutchman secured his triumph, and fresh audio from the race has since emerged. It shows the moment when race stewards executed Red Bull’s orders to allow Verstappen to overtake Lewis Hamilton.
Race director Michael Masi was criticised for his decision to allow the five lapped drivers to be passed, with Mercedes chief Toto Wolff understandably furious at the situation.
Now, ‘sickening’ footage has been circulating on social media which shows Masi appearing to act on the instructions of Red Bull chief Jonathan Wheatley without any hesitation or opposition.
This is shocking. New emerging footage of @F1 Abu Dhabi GP containing previously unheard radio. Masi essentially executed the instructions of Jonathan Wheatley (Red Bull) without any second thought over its legality or fairness. This should be sickening listening to any fan. pic.twitter.com/XkOWmjGhH0
— Jordan (@F1_Jordan) February 8, 2022
With Verstappen’s title hopes slipping away, Wheatley said on the radio: “Obviously those lapped cars, you don’t need to let them go right away round and catch up with the back of the pack.”
Masi replied ‘understood’ before Wheatley continued: “You need to let them go and then we got a motor race on our hands.”
Masi again said: “Understood, just give me a second.”
Wheatley can then be heard speaking directly to Verstappen, saying: “We think all the cars ahead of you are going to pass Hamilton, everybody behind you will stay in position.”
Following intense speculation, Mercedes eventually opted to withdraw the appeal they submitted in the wake of Verstappen’s controversial world championship win.
It was recently confirmed that Formula 1: Drive to Survive will return for a fourth season on Netflix in 2022, and fans have started to get excited about tuning in to the series which should feature the dramatic final race.
While the release date is yet to be confirmed, it is expected that it will coincide with the start of the new season.
Season one was released one week before the season opener in Australian and season two was also launched two weeks in advance.
For season three, the show was set to be released in conjunction with the opening weekend of the season in Melbourne, however, as it was postponed, Netflix released the show on the planned date and the series launched on the March 19.
With the provisional 2022 calendar featuring an opening Grand Prix in Bahrain, which falls on March 20, it can be expected that series four will be released at some point in March.
Related links:
- Lewis Hamilton unfollows everyone on Instagram after F1 championship loss
- Lewis Hamilton knighted by Prince Charles days after F1 heartbreak
- Lewis Hamilton says race was ‘manipulated’ in unheard team radio message
