Former Top Gear presenter Tiff Needell unleashed a scathing public attack on Formula 1 following the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit.
The 5.416km track made its debut on the F1 calendar amid enormous hype, but the race itself failed to live up to expectations for many observers.
Overtaking proved virtually impossible throughout the afternoon, leaving the race heavily dependent on strategic decisions rather than on-track battles.
The most significant action early on involved a skirmish between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, which was followed by Hamilton’s subsequent retirement from the race.
The defining moment of the grand prix came when a virtual safety car, deployed after Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll retired, dramatically altered the outcome for race leader Lando Norris.
Second-placed Kimi Antonelli and third-placed Verstappen were able to take cheap pit stops under the VSC, but the timing worked cruelly against Norris, who could not pit on the same lap.
By the time Norris completed nearly another lap under VSC conditions, green flag racing had resumed, meaning the world champion was unable to save crucial time in the pits.
Norris eventually pitted anyway, but a slow stop of seven seconds compounded his misfortune and effectively ended any realistic chance of victory.
Needell was incensed by the sequence of events and took to social media to make his feelings very clear, posting: “For f*** sake F1 You have to adapt your petty rulebook to some common sense.”
He continued: “If you call VSC as the leader passes the Pits you keep the stupid thing going till he’s also had the opportunity to stop and not simply give the race to second place on the stupid track you approved!”
Antonelli ultimately took the race win as he continues to surge towards a first world championship title, while Norris had to settle for third behind Verstappen.
Needell did not stop at criticising the VSC handling, going further to condemn the broader direction of the sport and its approach to the Madring weekend.
He later added: “@F1 this weekend has just been a ‘Monumental’ mess – and they’ve committed to nine more years of it.”
Needell also took aim at the commercial priorities of the sport, suggesting financial gain had been placed above the quality of racing on offer.
He pointedly remarked that F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali would likely be satisfied given the enormous crowds and high ticket prices generated across the three-day event.