Helmut Marko has defended Michael Masi’s controversial decision to restart the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with just one lap to go.

The season finale at Yas Marina had been a pretty tame affair until Lap 53 when Nicholas Latifi crashed whilst fighting Mick Schumacher for 15th place, with the safety car being brought out to give the marshals enough time to remove the stricken Williams.

Red Bull reacted quickly to this sudden development and brought Max Verstappen in for a fresh set of soft tyres, whilst Lewis Hamilton was told to stay out by his Mercedes team.

But with just two laps to go, Masi ordered five lapped cars to un lap themselves, setting up a last-lap shootout to decide the destination of the World championship.

With his fresher rubber as well as a tow from the Mercedes, Verstappen breezed past Hamilton into Turn 5, and in spite of the Brit's best efforts to retake the lead, Verstappen held off Hamilton to win the race and the World Championship, much to the disgust of Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff who immediately ordered Masi to reinstate the previous lap.

Masi shut down Wolff’s request to reinstate the previous lap, ending all chance of the race result being immediately overturned.

When appearing on Austrian television programme Sport und Talk, Marko said that the Australian’s decision to restart the race with one lap to go was the right one. 

“One must also credit Michael Masi who wanted to finish the race under racing conditions. With IndyCar or NASCAR, for example, there is a rule that they even add a lap so that the race can be finished under racing conditions. There were five cars in between and he just sent them away, so that you could drive this last lap. It’s like the referee, he has the right and if he decides like that, then that’s valid.”

Marko also said he was looking forward to seeing how the 24-year old Dutchman progresses as a driver as he approaches his eighth season in Formula 1 and his first with the iconic number one plate.

“To see him move a car so skilfully at the limit, yes, that warms my heart, we don’t need any criticism or anything, as we are actually always in agreement. These constant improvements, I’m excited to see what’s next.”