Brawn: German GP the best response to 'vitriolic' criticism of F1

Formula 1 managing director Ross Brawn says last weekend's entertaining German Grand Prix offered another perfect rebuttal to the recent "vitriolic" criticism of the sport.

Last month's processional French Grand Prix led to a scathing review by fans and the media of F1's current state of affairs and Mercedes' tiring supremacy.

However, three successive action-packed races - and two Mercedes defeats - have gone a long way towards silencing the critics.

Last weekend's German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, where changing track conditions captivated the crowd from start to finish, was but another perfect antidote to a potential plague of negative commentary.

• Brawn salutes 'almost flawless' performance from Verstappen

"The German Grand Prix was incredibly exciting, from first lap to last," wrote Brawn in his usual post-race debrief.

"It had everything, overtaking, mistakes, less than perfect strategies, immense bravery, crashes and a podium line-up – indeed a top-10 order – no-one could have predicted after qualifying.

"The points placings featured drivers from eight different teams, and on a day when the big guns faltered wholly or in part, only Toro Rosso and Haas managed to get both drivers in the points.

"It has to be said that intermittent rain really made the spectacle, but it can’t be denied that for different reasons, all three recent races have been hugely entertaining.

"It’s the best possible response to the unfortunate criticism the sport received after the French Grand Prix, some of it surprisingly vitriolic."

Brawn conceded that not every race can keep spectators on their toes for the duration of the afternoon. But the F1 chief pushed back on frequent allegations that Grand Prix racing was boring.

"I’m not saying everything is perfect, especially when you consider that Daniil Kvyat’s third-place finish is only the third time that a driver from outside the top three teams has finished on the podium since 2017," he added.

"But I think it is fair to say that over half of this year’s races have been anything but boring, despite the dominance of Mercedes who have simply done a better job than any of their rivals.

"Not every race can be at this level, but there are enough to make this the greatest motorsport series in the world."

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