They called me every name under the sun Michael Masi on receiving social media abuse post 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP fiasco involving Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen
They called me every name under the sun - Michael Masi on receiving social media abuse post-2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP fiasco involving Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Approve Reject & ban Delete Logout
Former race director Michael Masi received death threats after making the mistake which decided the outcome of last year's F1 championship Max-Lewis battle last year was incredible sporting theatre, but it's really worrying how badly it's polarised some fans of either driver/team Vilified by the F1 base and openly racist by Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff portrayed the former race director as the antagonist in the controversy. While the Australian remained low-key, his final to leave the FIA as an organization gave him the freedom to speak about his experience, which was downplayed severely by the sport and the motorsport fraternity. Elaborating more on the social media messages and the experience, Masi said: “Thankfully, I don’t have an Instagram account. Or Twitter. I don’t have any of that. Being old-school I do however have Facebook, which I used to stay in touch with family and friends. I opened my messages that night to check in with them. I had no idea that I could receive them from people I did not know. But I was wrong. I was confronted with hundreds of messages. I wouldn’t say thousands but certainly hundreds. And they were shocking. Racist, abusive, vile, they called me every name under the sun. And they kept on coming. Not just on my Facebook but also on my LinkedIn, which is supposed to be a professional platform for business. It was the same type of abuse.”
I'd like to see drivers (Lewis, Max, whoever) acknowledge these toxic subsets of their fans, and DIRECTLY call them out. Ex-F1 race director Michael Masi has revealed that he received death threats and felt like "the most hated man in the world" after the Abu Dhabi season finale last year
Ex-F1 race director Michael Masi has revealed that he received death threats and felt like "the most hated man in the world" after the Abu Dhabi season finale last year Fans are entitled to feel upset. Entitled to criticise his decisions. Entitled to vent their frustrations. But a line was clearly crossed by a minority here.I'd like to see drivers (Lewis, Max, whoever) acknowledge these toxic subsets of their fans, and DIRECTLY call them out. Detailing the further impact on his mental and physical health, the Australian said: “I didn't want to talk to anyone. Not even family and friends. I only talked to my close family but very briefly. I also lost my appetite. I have heard some people become binge eaters during times like this but I didn’t eat much. It did have a physical impact, but it was more mental. I just wanted to be in a bubble. I had no desire to talk to them. I just wanted to be alone, which was very challenging. It did have a physical impact, but it was more mental. I just wanted to be in a bubble. I had no desire to talk to them. I just wanted to be alone, which was very challenging.” “The whole experience has made me a much stronger person. I didn’t go and talk to a professional. With the benefit of hindsight, I probably should have. But I think I downplayed it all to everyone including them. It took me a while to process it all. But at the end of the day, I thought it was best for me to come back home and be close to my support network.” The former race director became the focus of the discussion coupled with hatred on social media and in the public domain, with a lack of sympathy or consideration shown towards him by F1 and an entire fraternity. CEO Christian Horner, , and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem were the only few to mention the Masi had received and swiftly condemned the situation. With F1 launching a campaign to battle social media abuse and fan hatred both on track and online at the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP, Masi’s case is a fine of its effect. Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Thank You! Show More Comments No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Logout No Results Found
They called me every name under the sun - Michael Masi on receiving social media abuse post-2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP fiasco involving Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen
Former FIA F1 Race Director Michael Masi looks on during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at the Southern Sun Hotel on December 08, 2021, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images) Former F1 race director Michael Masi has finally spoken up about his dreadful experience with abuse and death threats following the 2021 Abu Dhabi season finale fiasco. In an exclusive interview with News Corp Australia, the 44-year-old revealed details of the threats and their impact on his mental health. Narrating his sojourn as a gist, the Australian said: “There were some dark days. I still remember walking down the street in London a day or two later. I thought I was OK until I started looking over my shoulder. I was looking at people wondering if they were going to get me... I felt like I was the most hated man in the world. I got death threats, people saying they were going to come after me and my family. There were some dark days I still remember walking down the street in London a day or two later. I thought I was okay until I started looking over my shoulder. I was looking at people wondering if they were going to get me.” The aftermath of the 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP finale that denied his eighth title led to Michael Masi becoming the target of hatred, death threats, and abuse. In his first interview after the fateful event that cost him his job, the Australian revealed the vitriolic hatred he faced on his professional and personal social media accounts. Max-Lewis battle last year was incredible sporting theatre, but it's really worrying how badly it's polarised some fans of either driver/team Former race director Michael Masi received death threats after making the mistake which decided the outcome of last year's F1 championshipFormer race director Michael Masi received death threats after making the mistake which decided the outcome of last year's F1 championship Max-Lewis battle last year was incredible sporting theatre, but it's really worrying how badly it's polarised some fans of either driver/team Vilified by the F1 base and openly racist by Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff portrayed the former race director as the antagonist in the controversy. While the Australian remained low-key, his final to leave the FIA as an organization gave him the freedom to speak about his experience, which was downplayed severely by the sport and the motorsport fraternity. Elaborating more on the social media messages and the experience, Masi said: “Thankfully, I don’t have an Instagram account. Or Twitter. I don’t have any of that. Being old-school I do however have Facebook, which I used to stay in touch with family and friends. I opened my messages that night to check in with them. I had no idea that I could receive them from people I did not know. But I was wrong. I was confronted with hundreds of messages. I wouldn’t say thousands but certainly hundreds. And they were shocking. Racist, abusive, vile, they called me every name under the sun. And they kept on coming. Not just on my Facebook but also on my LinkedIn, which is supposed to be a professional platform for business. It was the same type of abuse.”
Michael Masi reveals mental and physical impact of 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi season finale saga
Revealing a loss of appetite and the mental impact the of the 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi GP had on him, Michael Masi said that he cut off socially and reportedly returned to Australia to heal from the episode. He is also said to have visited Saudi Arabia for a track inspection as recently as January 2022, until the storm swirled around him and cost him his job the next month. Although he did not seek professional help, the former F1 race director admitted to downplaying the effects of the saga on him mentally. Describing the initial effects of the saga on a personal level, Masi said: “At first, I just thought I would ignore it and get on with it because I knew it could take me to a very dark place. I tried to cut myself off mentally, and I thought I could. I mostly kept it all to myself. I told a few people but not many. I didn’t want to concern my family and friends. I didn’t want them worrying too. The FIA (Masi’s employers) knew but I think I downplayed it all to everyone including them.” Fans are entitled to feel upset. Entitled to criticise his decisions. Entitled to vent their frustrations. But a line was clearly crossed by a minority here.I'd like to see drivers (Lewis, Max, whoever) acknowledge these toxic subsets of their fans, and DIRECTLY call them out. Ex-F1 race director Michael Masi has revealed that he received death threats and felt like "the most hated man in the world" after the Abu Dhabi season finale last year
Ex-F1 race director Michael Masi has revealed that he received death threats and felt like "the most hated man in the world" after the Abu Dhabi season finale last year Fans are entitled to feel upset. Entitled to criticise his decisions. Entitled to vent their frustrations. But a line was clearly crossed by a minority here.I'd like to see drivers (Lewis, Max, whoever) acknowledge these toxic subsets of their fans, and DIRECTLY call them out. Detailing the further impact on his mental and physical health, the Australian said: “I didn't want to talk to anyone. Not even family and friends. I only talked to my close family but very briefly. I also lost my appetite. I have heard some people become binge eaters during times like this but I didn’t eat much. It did have a physical impact, but it was more mental. I just wanted to be in a bubble. I had no desire to talk to them. I just wanted to be alone, which was very challenging. It did have a physical impact, but it was more mental. I just wanted to be in a bubble. I had no desire to talk to them. I just wanted to be alone, which was very challenging.” “The whole experience has made me a much stronger person. I didn’t go and talk to a professional. With the benefit of hindsight, I probably should have. But I think I downplayed it all to everyone including them. It took me a while to process it all. But at the end of the day, I thought it was best for me to come back home and be close to my support network.” The former race director became the focus of the discussion coupled with hatred on social media and in the public domain, with a lack of sympathy or consideration shown towards him by F1 and an entire fraternity. CEO Christian Horner, , and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem were the only few to mention the Masi had received and swiftly condemned the situation. With F1 launching a campaign to battle social media abuse and fan hatred both on track and online at the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP, Masi’s case is a fine of its effect. Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Thank You! Show More Comments No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ No thanks Delete Cancel Update Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Logout No Results Found