Former F1 driver stands up for Masi: 'Wolff kept shouting in his ears'

F1 News

24 January 2022 at 15:01
Last update 24 January 2022 at 17:01
  • GPblog.com

Michael Masi is under fire after the decisions during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Jacques Villeneuve stands up for the race director and believes he should not lose his job.

There have been calls from various people in the Formula 1 world for Masi's position to be reviewed because he did not follow the rules about overtaking under the safety car. For some, confidence is gone, especially with Lewis Hamilton's team.

Villeneuve disagrees. According to the Canadian, Masi performed well under the pressure of the situation. "Michael Masi should not be removed from his position. He was under enormous pressure from the two team bosses. In particular, Toto Wolff, who kept shouting in his ears for the last five races", he tells La Gazzetta dello Sport.

One downside

The former F1 driver thinks Masi did almost everything right, the only flaw was the situation during the safety car. Indeed, the race director chose to allow only a few lapped cars to overtake, but according to Villeneuve, it was the right choice to restart the race.

Villeneuve thinks that the race in Abu Dhabi will actually ensure that there will be more precise rules in the future. Currently, the FIA is still conducting an internal investigation into the events of the last race. Its findings are expected in the week before the start of the new season.