"Toto, it's called a motor race" - F1 Race Director delivers scathing response to Mercedes' complaints

F1 race director Michael Masi had a stout response to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff after the latter felt as if the final lap should have ended under the safety car.

In similar dramatic fashion to the rest of the season, the 2021 F1 season ended on a controversial note after Nicholas Latifi crashed out in the closing stages of the race, provoking a safety car. Race control initially ruled that lapped cars wouldn't be allowed to overtake the safety car, but they then changed their decision, allowing 5 of the lapped cars to do so.

Toto Wolff was heard yelling at Michael Masi over the team radio as he believed the race should have ended under the safety car. Michael Masi, however, gave the Austrian executive a scathing response. He said:

"Toto, it's called a motor race."

Due to the controversial decision by the FIA, Max Verstappen found himself right behind Lewis Hamilton on the safety car restart. To add to the Briton's problems, the Dutchman was on a set of fresh soft compound tires, which are generally much faster compared to the worn hard compound tires the Briton was on.

The last minute decision by the FIA to allow lapped cars to overtake will be discussed heavily in the weeks and months to follow.

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Max Verstappen narrowly clinches maiden F1 world championship title

Max Verstappen won the 2021 F1 world championship by an unbelievably slim margin. The Dutchman found himself right behind rival Lewis Hamilton at the safety car restart and had a fresher pair of soft compound tires. Verstappen made an amazing lunge on the Briton, gaining track position with only half a lap of racing to go in the 58 lap race.

Despite winning the drivers' championship, RedBull have lost the constructors' championship to rivals Mercedes.

Max Verstappen and RedBull have a lot to celebrate at the end of an F1 season which was full of controversy, drama and epic wheel-to-wheel racing.