Formula 1 race director Michael Masi has admitted that it was unusual to receive a message from Toto Wolff to race control which was broadcast during the Spanish Grand Prix. Wolff was heard issuing a complaint to Masi about Haas driver Nikita Mazepin, who the Mercedes team boss felt was holding up Lewis Hamilton. "Michael, blue flags," Wolff said in the message on lap 26. "Michael, this guy makes us lose the position." Masi has since said that it is not often that he hears from Wolff on the radio like this. "No, to be fair, I very rarely hear from Toto on the race control radio," Masi told RacingNews365.com and other select media. F1 has not previously broadcast messages from the teams to race control, but did so for the first time during the race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Masi says that this was a decision made by the FIA and F1 Commission in order to allow fans the opportunity to gain further insight. "[It is] one of the innovations that the FIA has worked together with F1," the race director explained. "It actually came about through a discussion at the F1 Commission meeting last year, so [viewers] could hear a part of the broadcast the communications between the pit wall and the teams, which is the regular part of what we do operationally. "The F1 Group through their broadcasts, has been doing some trials in the background of seeing what that looks like. And all the teams were advised and this weekend’s the first time it’s gone live to air." It is not the first time recently that Wolff has made a surprise appearance on team radio. The Mercedes team principal was also heard sending an encouraging message to Valtteri Bottas during the previous race in Portugal, though joked afterwards that it didn't have the positive effect he had hoped for.
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