'Lewis Hamilton would now be an eight-time world champion' if Michael Masi wasn't race director in 2021, claims Guenther Steiner

Former Haas team principal feels Lewis Hamilton would now be an eight-time world champion if Michael Masi was not the race director in 2021 and Charlie Whiting was still alive. The 2021 F1 season is going to go down in the history of the sport in infamy because both on and off-track drama went through the roof.

In 2021, Hamilton and Max Verstappen were fighting for the title, and the on-track battles took a different turn. Race director Michael Masi became a central figure in many decisions during that season. However, the in-race team radio communication between the race director and the team principals, with all of the back-and-forth, was broadcast to the world.

The entire dynamics led to many instances of mismanagement by the race director during the title battle featuring Hamilton and Verstappen. It all culminated with the final race in Abu Dhabi 2021, where Michael Masi would restart the race with just one lap left in dubious circumstances.

That ended up deciding the championship in Max Verstappen's favor and led to a massive uproar. Talking about the FIA in the aftermath of former race director Charlie Whiting, Guenther Steiner has written in his book 'Unfiltered' that the governing body has lost its accountability since 2019.

The former team principal also said that if Whiting were the team principal in 2021, Hamilton would have been an 8-time world champion today. He said:

“Wherever your loyalties lie with that one (and yes, I agree, it was amazing entertainment), from a regulations point of view it was a shit show of biblical proportions, and regardless of what decision Charlie Whiting might have made in Michael Masi’s position there would have been far less controversy and embarrassment."

He added,

“Oh, fok it. We all know what Charlie would have done. Had he been at the helm Lewis would now be an eight-time world champion.”

Lewis Hamilton's career has taken a turn for the worse since 2021

Since 2021, Lewis Hamilton's career itself has taken a turn for the worse. The British driver has not fought for a title since that season, as Mercedes has been unable to cope with the regulation changes of 2022. To make things worse, Hamilton could not win even a single race in the last two seasons, and Verstappen and Red Bull dominated.

The driver is in his last season with Mercedes in 2024 and has achieved some success. He ended his two-year drought of race wins and won the race in Silverstone.

In 2025, Lewis Hamilton will move to Ferrari on a multi-year contract with the Italian team. The British driver is currently on seven world titles, and the next step of his career would be partnering with Ferrari, hoping to script history with them.