Ex-FIA president Jean Todt shines light on the actions of Christian Horner and Toto Wolff following the 2021 Abu Dhabi controversy
Jean Todt has gone on to talk about the actions of Christian Horner and Toto Wolff after the controversial title deciding finale in 2021.
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Toto Wolff (L), Jean Todt (M), Christian Horner (R)
Jean Todt revealed that the final race of his tenure as the FIA president ended in what could only be called a controversial spectacle. The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has since gone on to become one of the most debated topics in the world of Formula 1. It all started during the ending stage of the race where Nicolas Latifi’s crash brought out a late safety car which changed the whole scenario of the GP.
A controversial decision made by the race director led to the lapped cars between the two contenders being allowed to pass given Max the best possible scenario to hunt Lewis down. And the Dutchman went on to finally pass the Mercedes driver down the inside as he charged his way onto his first world title. The interpretation in the rules leading to the result meant Michael Masi’s exit from the sport was definitive.
Christian Horner and Toto Wolff were the two individuals that had locked onto a battle off track. While the former was defending the actions that took place, the latter was against them. This further led to their heated tussle going beyond the bounds of Race Control and reaching straight to Jean Todt. Both the F1 team principals got in touch with him after the race.
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Jean Todt was not in a position to get involved in the 2021 Abu Dhabi controversy
In an interview with Corriere della Sera, here is what he had to say. “I didn’t do anything. It’s not the role of the president of the FIA. Referees must be autonomous, have you ever heard [FIFA president Gianni] Infantino say, ‘here there was a penalty, but not here?’ He stated. “In the documentary [Jean Todt, la méthode] it can be seen that I am watching that race in the country house together with the crew.”
“They call me, Horner and Wolff, and I answer to them, ‘I can’t interfere, it’s the responsibility of the marshals and the race director,” Todt concluded. It was clear that he couldn’t have done anything about it as the power lied with Michael Masi. The race itself has become so infamous in the pinnacle of motorsport that the debate behind the incident still continues even after more than a year.
Ever since the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, there seems to have been a passing of the baton between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. The latter has impressed many as he went on to win the 2022 driver’s championship too in a dominant fashion. Currently, the Dutch sensation is also leading this year’s world championship and is the favourite to win the title yet again.
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Varad Joshi
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