F1 Grand Prix Of Qatar 2024 Qualifying - Source: Getty
Michael Masi’s decision to let the lap cars between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton through at the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP and calling in the safety car with one lap to go arguably led to the most controversial title finish to any F1 season. George Russell has now come out and suggested that had the Dutchman been on the receiving end and lost the championship due to Masi’s order, the race steward “would be fearing for his life.”
At the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP, speaking to the media including Sportskeeda, Russell said:
“Lewis stood up to him [Max Verstappen] in 2021, and Lewis lost that championship unfairly. Could you imagine the roles being reversed? I mean, [Michael] Masi would be fearing for his life.
"And the way Lewis dealt with that championship fight, he was hard, he was aggressive, he was always respectful, and he never went beyond the line. I think he's been enabled, because no one has stood up to him. Lewis did in 2021, and lost unfairly.”
