The impact of the 2021 Abu Dhabi race has clearly been massive, as people still find it difficult to not talk about it. The controversial win for the Dutch driver Max Verstappen is going to be a topic of conversation forever.

From Nicholas Latifi’s last-minute crash to Masi’s iconic reply of “Toto, its called a motor race. We went car racing,” the season was epic. While many believe that Hamilton did well at Abu Dhabi, Verstappen fans point to his dominating season.

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Motor Racing has not been the same since the moment Verstappen lifted that trophy. The sport altogether saw an increased amount of viewership and mass incoming of new fans. Surprisingly, the last race beat the audience of Super Bowl viewership and grabbed an astonishing number of 108.7 million viewers.

Christian Horner stands by Michael Masi

While the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has been a blessing in disguise for the sport, it wasn’t a pleasant experience for Michael Masi. The racing director was recently dropped from his position. The FIA has assigned two new directors to replace him, as they expect them to share the role alternatively.

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has, however, backed Masi. Furthermore, he accused Mercedes of bullying Masi to the point of his removal. While this was both surprising and controversially hypocritical of Horner, it makes a lot of sense. Horner also backed the stewards’ decision and felt they would not give out a wrong decision.

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Horner feels driving aggressively is in Max’s DNA

Christian was also quick to point out the positive consequences of the race. He denied the FIA’s claims that the image of F1 was “tarnished” and clapped back by saying, “Yeah, but the production director of Netflix was not sitting next to Michael Masi when he was making that decision.”

On accusations that whether the sports have prioritized entertainment over sporting integrity, Horner said, “It would have been the worst possible finish to what had been a magnificent season. When you look at the intensity of it, for it to end under a safety car after a lame accident would have been shocking.

“F1 is still a sport, but sport is an entertainment. And one could also argue that there have been more people talking about Formula 1 in the past two and a half months when, traditionally, it would have been in hibernation.

“The viewing figures have never been bigger. Every promoter is sold out. Silverstone are trying to accommodate more seats and grandstand places. There’s never been more competition to host a Grand Prix. So, um, is it all that bad?” He further added.

The Red Bull boss also defended Max Verstappen’s aggressive driving and claimed that Max will learn from his experiences. Horner praised him on his outstanding performance last year and wished that he’d carry on with that. Horner further claimed that driving aggressively is in Max’s DNA.

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