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Former F1 driver Christijan Albers has commented on the chaotic finale in Abu Dhabi. The Dutchman claims race director Michael Masi was 'insecure' through multiple races and made a 'confused' decision at the end of the season.
Lewis Hamilton missed out on a record-breaking eighth title win on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December. A mismanaged safety car decision allowed Max Verstappen to cross the checkered line ahead of the Briton. The decision has been the primary subject of conversation within the F1 fraternity since then, with multiple pundits giving varied takes on it.
Dutch driver Albers is the latest expert to give his take on the controversial race ending. In an interview with de Telegraaf, the former Spyker driver said:
“Masi seemed a bit insecure during some races. I also thought he sometimes made confused decisions. But now the emphasis is on that last round in Abu Dhabi. He played a decisive role there. And you don’t want that, because you want the championship to be decided in a beautiful and fair way.”
Albers sympathizes with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, claiming that he understands that they feel 'robbed'. The Dutchman also believes the response would have been similar if it had been Red Bull losing out to Mercedes in a similar manner. He said:
“I understand that Mercedes and Hamilton feel robbed. Let’s be honest, if it had been the other way around, Red Bull or another team would probably have taken the same attitude. Wasn’t it Red Bull team boss Christian Horner who had left after the penultimate race in Jeddah was still moaning and strongly criticising Masi?”
Christijan Albers criticized Michael Masi's handling of the F1 finale in Abu Dhabi
Michael Masi has gained a bad reputation within the F1 community for allegedly breaking safety car regulations at the end of the season finale. As per BBC Sport, some seniors in the sport are sure of the Australian losing his job because of his failure to follow FIA rules.
Christijan Albers is of the opinion that Masi was inconsistent in his decisions throughout the season and feels that the FIA ought to investigate into these decisions made earlier on in 2021. The former F1 driver believes the five cars who were lapped should not have been allowed to un-lap themselves at the end of the race. He said:
“In Abu Dhabi, in my view, Masi made a mistake by only allowing the five cars between Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves. Then you can, of course, say: it is about the championship, but it is not consistent. So the FIA will have to investigate not just that final round in Abu Dhabi, but that whole accumulation of inconsistency throughout the season.”
While others such as Helmut Marko and Romain Grosjean have defended the Australian's decision, the vast majority of the sport's fans and critics believe otherwise. They feel the championship ended under unfair circumstances, bringing into speculation the possible retirement of Lewis Hamilton.
