Fernando Alonso has admitted he hopes the recent sacking of F1 race director Michael Masi was not down to his handling of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December. ‘I don’t think that they changed it [the race control structure] because of Abu Dhabi, or I hope not.’. Alonso was one of the most outspoken drivers over the officiating during the 2021 season, and even called Masi ‘too soft’ before the race in Abu Dhabi after the race director failed to take action on a driver from effectively blocking his qualifying lap. Alonso’s calls come after Daniel Ricciardo threw out suggestions that his former-team-mate Verstappen did not deserve the F1 title following the controversy in Abu Dhabi. Alonso was speaking at the launch of his Alpine team’s new car for the season, which will feature a brand new look for the start of the campaign.

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