Wittich breaks the taboo: “Masi was right”, and 2021 shakes F1 again
There are moments in Formula 1 that never truly end. They remain suspended in time, like a wound that never fully heals and occasionally starts to pulse again, reminding everyone how fragile the sport’s balance can be. Abu Dhabi 2021 is one of those moments: a season finale that changed a world championship, two careers, and perhaps even the way Formula 1 views its own rules and public perception.
Years later, as F1 continues to evolve and reinvent itself, that night has resurfaced through an unexpected voice: Niels Wittich, the man who later inherited one of the most difficult roles in the paddock. His judgment is neither an exoneration nor a condemnation. It is something more complex, more uncomfortable, and ultimately more revealing.
The finale that rewrote everything
Michael Masi never stopped being the race director of Abu Dhabi 2021, even after being removed from his position, heavily criticised, and overwhelmed by a storm no one in his role could easily withstand. The 57th lap, the decision regarding lapped cars, and the safety car coming in one lap earlier than expected all remain deeply etched into collective memory.
Lewis Hamilton had an eleven-second lead, Max Verstappen had fresh tyres and nothing to lose. Nicholas Latifi crashed, the race was neutralised, Mercedes chose not to pit, and chaos unfolded. Then came Masi’s call: only the cars between the two title contenders would be allowed to unlap themselves. A reading of the regulations that contradicted standard procedure, but which he believed was possible under the circumstances.
The rest is history: one final lap, one overtake, one world championship decided.
Wittich, today, does not hide behind diplomatic language:
“The regulations did not define everything in a strict way. What he did fell within his powers.”
A statement that carries weight, because it challenges the dominant narrative. Not a technical mistake, but a discretionary decision in a context where everyone — the FIA, the teams, and Formula 1 itself — had expressed a clear desire: to avoid finishing races behind the safety car.
Wittich is explicit:
“He did what everyone had agreed on: to create a racing final lap.”
And here lies the core issue. Not legality, not sporting justice, but the tension between written regulations and political intent. A balance that collapsed that night.
The human cost of an impossible decision
The FIA described it as “human error”, but Wittich tells a different, more bitter story: Michael Masi was left alone.
Without protection, without a structure capable of supporting him, without the kind of institutional backing that Charlie Whiting once had under Max Mosley. For Wittich, this is the real scandal.
“The lack of support from the FIA was disappointing. Everyone knew that in extreme situations, you would be left on your own.”
This is not just a technical assessment — it is an accusation against a system that chose a scapegoat to calm a media storm. Masi paid with his career, his mental well-being, and the dignity of a role that should be protected rather than sacrificed.
Wittich states it calmly, which makes it even more striking:
“Whatever happened, there was no proper discussion, nor support for employees.”
Today, Masi works away from Formula 1, involved in Karting Australia and the NextGen NZ championship.
A polished exile, but an exile nonetheless.
Abu Dhabi 2021 is not a closed case. It remains an open wound — a symbol of how Formula 1 can be both immensely powerful and extremely fragile at the same time. Wittich does not rehabilitate Masi; he humanises him. And in doing so, he exposes a system that, under pressure, prefers to sacrifice an individual rather than confront its own contradictions.
The final lap of that race decided a championship.
The aftermath decided much more than that.
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