Christian Horner makes bombshell Michael Masi admission over Abu Dhabi 2021 F1 controversy

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has revealed in his memoir, 'Drive', how he pressured race director Michael Masi during the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Horner detailed radioing Masi after race control initially decided that lapped cars would not overtake the Safety Car, urging him to clear the cars between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen so the championship could finish under green-flag racing conditions.

Following Horner's radio message, race control reversed the call by allowing the five cars separating the title contenders to unlap themselves and restarting the race immediately. Verstappen, running on fresh tires, subsequently overtook Mercedes driver Hamilton on the final lap to clinch the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship.