{"id":6861,"date":"2022-01-17T17:14:38","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T17:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/?p=6861"},"modified":"2022-01-17T17:25:09","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T17:25:09","slug":"mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-F1 driver denies Masi tried to sabotage Hamilton but criticises &#8216;rushed&#8217; decision"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Former Formula 1 driver Perry McCarthy has labelled the controversial end to the 2021 championship &#8220;a joke,\u201d and said race director Michael Masi \u201cgot it wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen entered the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last month level on points following a thrilling season of racing, meaning they each needed to finish the race ahead of the other in order to claim title glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A slightly more cynical perspective arrived in the suspicion that the Dutchman may use his 10 wins to Hamilton\u2019s nine to ensure a victory by way of neither of them finishing the race, but it was clear that both competitors had gone to Abu Dhabi seeking what they had all season \u2013 a race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Verstappen claimed pole position, but the Briton sailed ahead at the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>READ: <a href=\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/ex-f1-driver-hamilton-dont-think-he-is-running-away\/\">Ex-F1 driver on Hamilton: \u2018I don\u2019t think he is running away\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact into Turn Six followed on the opening lap, with Red Bull convinced that Hamilton should have been ordered to hand his position back to the 24-year-old after he ventured off the circuit, but the stewards deemed that the advantage he gained had been sufficiently receded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the 2021 season would have one last shocking \u2013 and exasperating, as far as Mercedes were concerned \u2013 twist that would decide the fate of the world championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Verstappen pitted during a Safety Car that was brought out following a late crash for Williams\u2019 Nicholas Latifi, while a fear of losing track position with so few laps remaining prompted Mercedes to keep Hamilton out on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As such, this left five lapped cars between the championship protagonists, and Masi initially ruled that none of the lapped runners would be allowed through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Vote now: Should the FIA fire <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Masi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Masi<\/a> for his handling of the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AbuDhabiGP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AbuDhabiGP<\/a>? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wclHw9mdAe\">https:\/\/t.co\/wclHw9mdAe<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Formula1News.co.uk (@Formula1newsUK) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Formula1newsUK\/status\/1482846757264498689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 16, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>However, in a turn of events that Johnny Herbert has recently described as a \u201ctwist\u201d of the rules, the Australian told only the five lapped drivers at the front to pass the Safety Car, leaving everyone else in their position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Verstappen would then overtake his rival on the final lap of the race to win the title, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff exclaimed that the last-gasp events were \u201cso not right\u201d on the radio to race control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There were just three races in 2021 that were not won by Verstappen and Hamilton, and McCarthy told this publication that the controversy precludes a lot of fans from appreciating the quality with which the pair entertained us last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere&#8217;s been clearly a lot of chat going on about this with some very, very, very strong views,\u201d he told <a href=\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/\">Formula1News.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd the biggest problem is that, you know, if you air a view about what actually happened, people polarise it into saying \u2018you\u2019re on Lewis\u2019 side\u2019 or \u2018you&#8217;re on Max&#8217;s side.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Now, I&#8217;m one of those people probably like all of us that just actually want to see great, close racing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;And we were gifted a brilliant championship between two absolutely brilliant dynamite racing drivers. [The season was] so full of intrigue, full of close racing, we got everything we wanted,&#8221; McCarthy, the original &#8220;Stig&#8221; from Top Gear, added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">MAX VERSTAPPEN. WORLD CHAMPION!!!<br><br>A stunning season by an extraordinary talent<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HistoryMade?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HistoryMade<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/F1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#F1<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Max33Verstappen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Max33Verstappen<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FxT9W69xJe\">pic.twitter.com\/FxT9W69xJe<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Formula 1 (@F1) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/F1\/status\/1470039368467427328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking on the closing laps in Abu Dhabi, the former F1 driver condemns the \u201cunacceptable\u201d manner in which Masi handled the restart ahead of the one-lap final sprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe decision on the final lap, or final two laps, whatever it was, at Abu Dhabi was unacceptable,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;This is a high-tech sport, it&#8217;s a global sport. And we need some kind of continuity, not just pick an idea out of the hat and then that&#8217;s how the world championship falls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;And as I say, I must completely reiterate my own position is that I&#8217;m a great fan of both Max and Lewis. For me, I wasn&#8217;t really worried about whoever won the championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;So what I have to say is literally based on how that decision was arrived at, to allow them to race on the final lap; and I think it was a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 60-year-old warns that what happened at the Yas Marina Circuit leaves a negative legacy on the sport, saying: \u201cI think it&#8217;s really seriously damaged the credibility of Formula 1.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conspiracy theories have flown that F1\u2019s owners, Liberty Media, manufactured a situation in which an entertaining finish took precedence over a sporting one, but McCarthy cast doubt on this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo, with Michael Masi, it was an ill-thought out decision. He didn&#8217;t have an awful lot of time, I don&#8217;t subscribe to the point of view that Liberty Media had anything to do with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Even if they wanted to, there wasn&#8217;t enough time to start engaging a boardroom to say \u2018how we can make this a dynamite finish ribbon last one lap dash?\u2019 that&#8217;s rubbish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You know, this was down to one person. And his take on how the race should end. And for me, I think he got it very, very seriously wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>READ: <a href=\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/stupid-abu-dhabi-gp-ending-cost-formula-1-viewers\/\">\u2018Stupid\u2019 Abu Dhabi GP ending will cost Formula 1 viewers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a damming review of the execution of Masi\u2019s duties, the Briton questions how many viewers will actually be tempted back in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd I do think it\u2019s been damaging to F1, because, you know, Formula 1 has been an awful lot of my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve tuned in avidly, to pretty much every race ever. And I&#8217;m kind of thinking, can I be bothered again for this year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;So if it&#8217;s affecting me like that, I wonder how it&#8217;s affecting an awful lot of other people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So it was unacceptable, the way that that was handled at the end of the season, which is such a strain because we were, as I said before, gifted to a brilliant season.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Asked if he could imagine any particular reason that led Masi to shuffle the lapped runners in the way he did, McCarthy does not believe that the Australian favoured either driver, but rather that it was a \u201crushed\u201d decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think he just completely got it wrong,\u201d he affirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m pretty sure it was a naive decision. I don&#8217;t believe that Michael Masi had the intent to allow Max to win the world championship or the intent to allow Lewis to win the world championship. I don&#8217;t believe that&#8217;s the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Michael-Masi-could-be-fired-after-costing-Lewis-Hamilton-2021-F1-championship.v1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Masi could be fired after costing Lewis Hamilton 2021 F1 championship.v1\" class=\"wp-image-6806\" srcset=\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Michael-Masi-could-be-fired-after-costing-Lewis-Hamilton-2021-F1-championship.v1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Michael-Masi-could-be-fired-after-costing-Lewis-Hamilton-2021-F1-championship.v1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Michael-Masi-could-be-fired-after-costing-Lewis-Hamilton-2021-F1-championship.v1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Michael-Masi-could-be-fired-after-costing-Lewis-Hamilton-2021-F1-championship.v1-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Michael-Masi-could-be-fired-after-costing-Lewis-Hamilton-2021-F1-championship.v1-480x320.jpg 480w, https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Michael-Masi-could-be-fired-after-costing-Lewis-Hamilton-2021-F1-championship.v1.jpg 1207w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;But I think that it was a rushed decision where he didn&#8217;t actually work it out how he had actually arranged from that decision, who would win the race, because it is going to be impossible to defend that, there&#8217;s no question about it.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has previously suggested that Mercedes ought to have brought the seven-time world champion into the pits under the late Safety Car, but McCarthy rejects this notion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe people who say that Mercedes missed a trick by not bringing Lewis in for new tyres when Red Bull pitted, they don&#8217;t actually understand the situation, that if they had done that, they were expecting the race probably to finish under the Safety Car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Well, then you&#8217;ve gifted Max track position, so he  would have won anyway. So Mercedes were completely backed against the wall on leaving Lewis out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, McCarthy, who contested the 24 Hours of Le Mans on five occasions, settles on Hamilton\u2019s defeat owing to \u201ca naive decision\u201d by the race director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He suggested that red flagging the race following Latifi\u2019s accident would have proven the fairer thing to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou know, we&#8217;re all brilliant in hindsight. It probably would have been best to have stopped the race and red flagged it, so that everybody could go on to new tyres for a five lap shootout at the end, and then I think that would have been acceptable, but we did see Lewis Hamilton dominate that race.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McCarthy cited the Turn Six incident in Abu Dhabi as well as the bizarre incident at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix the race before as examples of further stewarding errors last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere was shenanigans at the beginning [in Abu Dhabi]. And I wasn&#8217;t in favour of Lewis having the bit of a lead that he did have after the Turn Six [incident# into account when he came back on the track, and I thought he had too much of an advantage there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;So I think the stewards made a mistake there. I think that they should have pulled him up a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!!<\/p>&mdash; George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GeorgeRussell63\/status\/1470039410490191879?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 12, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In Jeddah, the pair came to blows when the Dutchman attempted to allow his rival through, but appeared to catch Hamilton out with his braking, sending the Briton into the back of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>READ: <a href=\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/alonso-recovering-fresh-jaw-operation\/\">Alonso misses virtual race due to fresh jaw operation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This came after Verstappen had pushed the Mercedes driver off the track, but was almost comically given a penalty for it anyway, as well as for the strange collision between the pair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McCarthy is enthused by all the dramatic action provided by Hamilton and Verstappen over the course of the season, but laments the way 2021 ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut then there were other factors that, you know, when we saw Max brake on the straight [in Saudi Arabia]. It was a bizarre situation, it really was, you know, they were very lucky on that one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;So it was edge of the seat stuff for all of us that was spoiled at the end,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hamilton is reportedly considering retiring from Formula 1 after his heart-breaking defeat, but Verstappen himself \u2013 as well as new FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem \u2013 reckon that we will be seeing the 37-year-old on the track this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>The contents of this article can only be reused and republished by other media outlets in accordance with our\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/copyright-policy\/\"><em>Copyright Policy<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMMbLnQsw19W1Aw\"><strong>Follow us on Google News to never miss an F1 story<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Formula 1 driver Perry McCarthy has labelled the controversial end to the 2021 championship &#8220;a joke,\u201d and said race director Michael Masi \u201cgot it wrong.\u201d Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen entered the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last month level on points following a thrilling season of racing, meaning they each needed to finish the race ahead of the other in order to claim title glory. A slightly more cynical perspective arrived in the suspicion that the Dutchman may use his 10 wins to Hamilton\u2019s nine to ensure a victory by way of neither of them finishing the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":6888,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,21,26],"tags":[394,45,29,31,30,140,416,51],"class_list":["post-6861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editors-picks","category-featured","category-latest-news","tag-2021-abu-dhabi-grand-prix","tag-fia","tag-lewis-hamilton","tag-max-verstappen","tag-mercedes-f1","tag-michael-masi","tag-perry-mccarthy","tag-red-bull-racing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ex-F1 driver denies Masi tried to sabotage Hamilton but criticises &#039;rushed&#039; decision<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A former Formula 1 driver has criticised Michael Masi for costing Sir Lewis Hamilton his 2021 F1 crown in Abu Dhabi.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ex-F1 driver denies Masi tried to sabotage Hamilton but criticises &#039;rushed&#039; decision\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A former Formula 1 driver has criticised Michael Masi for costing Sir Lewis Hamilton his 2021 F1 crown in Abu Dhabi.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Formula1News.co.uk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-01-17T17:14:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-01-17T17:25:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Lewis-Hamilton-and-Max-Verstappen-at-the-2021-Abu-Dhabi-Grand-Prix.v1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1207\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"805\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rob Kershaw\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rob Kershaw\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rob Kershaw\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/e24eb2cb948b917349eb2e9c4441dbfc\"},\"headline\":\"Ex-F1 driver denies Masi tried to sabotage Hamilton but criticises &#8216;rushed&#8217; decision\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-17T17:14:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-17T17:25:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/\"},\"wordCount\":1667,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Lewis-Hamilton-and-Max-Verstappen-at-the-2021-Abu-Dhabi-Grand-Prix.v1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix\",\"FIA\",\"Lewis Hamilton\",\"Max Verstappen\",\"Mercedes F1\",\"Michael Masi\",\"Perry McCarthy\",\"Red Bull Racing\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Editor's Picks\",\"Featured\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2022\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/\",\"name\":\"Ex-F1 driver denies Masi tried to sabotage Hamilton but criticises 'rushed' decision\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Lewis-Hamilton-and-Max-Verstappen-at-the-2021-Abu-Dhabi-Grand-Prix.v1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-17T17:14:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-17T17:25:09+00:00\",\"description\":\"A former Formula 1 driver has criticised Michael Masi for costing Sir Lewis Hamilton his 2021 F1 crown in Abu Dhabi.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Lewis-Hamilton-and-Max-Verstappen-at-the-2021-Abu-Dhabi-Grand-Prix.v1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Lewis-Hamilton-and-Max-Verstappen-at-the-2021-Abu-Dhabi-Grand-Prix.v1.jpg\",\"width\":1207,\"height\":805},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/\",\"name\":\"Formula1News.co.uk\",\"description\":\"Latest F1 News, Driver Moves &amp; Analysis\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Formula1News.co.uk\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LogoMakr_0sOxoz.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LogoMakr_0sOxoz.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":57,\"caption\":\"Formula1News.co.uk\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/e24eb2cb948b917349eb2e9c4441dbfc\",\"name\":\"Rob Kershaw\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/acd0e1f7609514fa660371306f73b8a714d175e63f1e306d0941b4306acfe69d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/acd0e1f7609514fa660371306f73b8a714d175e63f1e306d0941b4306acfe69d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rob Kershaw\"},\"description\":\"UK-based news writer for Formula1News.co.uk.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/author\/robert\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ex-F1 driver denies Masi tried to sabotage Hamilton but criticises 'rushed' decision","description":"A former Formula 1 driver has criticised Michael Masi for costing Sir Lewis Hamilton his 2021 F1 crown in Abu Dhabi.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ex-F1 driver denies Masi tried to sabotage Hamilton but criticises 'rushed' decision","og_description":"A former Formula 1 driver has criticised Michael Masi for costing Sir Lewis Hamilton his 2021 F1 crown in Abu Dhabi.","og_url":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/","og_site_name":"Formula1News.co.uk","article_published_time":"2022-01-17T17:14:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-01-17T17:25:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1207,"height":805,"url":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Lewis-Hamilton-and-Max-Verstappen-at-the-2021-Abu-Dhabi-Grand-Prix.v1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Rob Kershaw","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rob Kershaw","Estimated reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/"},"author":{"name":"Rob Kershaw","@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/e24eb2cb948b917349eb2e9c4441dbfc"},"headline":"Ex-F1 driver denies Masi tried to sabotage Hamilton but criticises &#8216;rushed&#8217; decision","datePublished":"2022-01-17T17:14:38+00:00","dateModified":"2022-01-17T17:25:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/"},"wordCount":1667,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Lewis-Hamilton-and-Max-Verstappen-at-the-2021-Abu-Dhabi-Grand-Prix.v1.jpg","keywords":["2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix","FIA","Lewis Hamilton","Max Verstappen","Mercedes F1","Michael Masi","Perry McCarthy","Red Bull Racing"],"articleSection":["Editor's Picks","Featured","News"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2022","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/","url":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/","name":"Ex-F1 driver denies Masi tried to sabotage Hamilton but criticises 'rushed' decision","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Lewis-Hamilton-and-Max-Verstappen-at-the-2021-Abu-Dhabi-Grand-Prix.v1.jpg","datePublished":"2022-01-17T17:14:38+00:00","dateModified":"2022-01-17T17:25:09+00:00","description":"A former Formula 1 driver has criticised Michael Masi for costing Sir Lewis Hamilton his 2021 F1 crown in Abu Dhabi.","inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/mccarthy-criticises-abu-dhabi-gp-masi-decision\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Lewis-Hamilton-and-Max-Verstappen-at-the-2021-Abu-Dhabi-Grand-Prix.v1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Lewis-Hamilton-and-Max-Verstappen-at-the-2021-Abu-Dhabi-Grand-Prix.v1.jpg","width":1207,"height":805},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#website","url":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/","name":"Formula1News.co.uk","description":"Latest F1 News, Driver Moves &amp; Analysis","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#organization","name":"Formula1News.co.uk","url":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LogoMakr_0sOxoz.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/LogoMakr_0sOxoz.png","width":400,"height":57,"caption":"Formula1News.co.uk"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/e24eb2cb948b917349eb2e9c4441dbfc","name":"Rob Kershaw","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/acd0e1f7609514fa660371306f73b8a714d175e63f1e306d0941b4306acfe69d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/acd0e1f7609514fa660371306f73b8a714d175e63f1e306d0941b4306acfe69d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rob Kershaw"},"description":"UK-based news writer for Formula1News.co.uk.","url":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/author\/robert\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/formula1news.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}