Max Verstappen, who will head into the 2022 season as a Formula 1 world champion, on Thursday defended former race director Michael Masi, saying the much-criticized former race director was “thrown under the bus” after last season’s dramatic finale.

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Masi was removed from his post last week in the wake of the controversial end to the F1 World Championship last season. His sacking was part of a series of changes announced by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the governing body of the sport.

Verstappen won his first title after a decision landed in his favour in Abu Dhabi last year, the finale. He overtook defending champion Lewis Hamilton on the last lap after Masi ordered a restart.

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“It was very unfair what happened to Michael because he’s really been thrown under the bus. I sent him a text as well. To immediately sack him is not the right decision. I wish him all the best with whatever comes next, and I just hope it’s better than being an F1 race director,” Verstappen said on Thursday at preseason testing in Barcelona. 

Masi’s call costed Lewis Hamilton a record-making eighth world title. The Mercedes driver was leading the race until Williams’ Nicholas Latifi crashed and a safety car was out with five laps to go. Verstappen stopped under yellow flags for a fresh set of tires, and Masi flipped his decision and let the drivers separating Verstappen from Hamilton pass the safety car. Verstappen then zoomed past Hamilton on fresh tires.

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“(That) the people who did sack him allowed that (rule to happen) in the first place is unacceptable. I found that really incredible, so I feel really sorry for Michael. I think he was a very capable and good race director,”  Verstappen said.

The Red Bull driver further said that he feels Masi was placed in a hugely difficult position. 

“Can you imagine a referee in whatever sport has the coach screaming in his ear all the time? That’s a yellow card, red card, no decision, no foul,'” Verstappen posed while drawing a comparison with a soccer referee.

“It’s impossible to make a decision. That F1 already allowed that team members could talk to him while making decisions is very wrong. Because it needed to be Michael making the decisions on his own, without having people screaming in his ear.”

With inputs from the Associated Press