leclerc pole win
Charles Leclerc after his pole position in Hungary
F1 News

Clarkson slams Formula One in 'blowing breeze' claim: ‘For God’s sake’

13:16, 16 Aug
Updated: 13:27, 16 Aug
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Jeremy Clarkson has launched a scathing attack on Formula 1 after the wind-affected Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying session.

Writing in The Sunday Times, the former Top Gear presenter fumed that results should not be determined by “whatever breeze happens to be blowing at turn six that day.”

Clarkson argued that the sport has become too flimsy when drivers and cars separated by less than a tenth of a second can see their fortunes decided by gusty conditions.

“Breeze shouldn’t be a factor in sport, for God’s sake,” he wrote, taking aim at what he sees as a growing problem in modern F1.

Piastri drives MCL39 on the Hungaroring

Leclerc's pole a result of F1 cars' fragility?

The criticism came after a topsy-turvy Saturday afternoon in Budapest, where McLaren looked set to dominate qualifying.

Lando Norris topped FP1 and FP2 before teammate Oscar Piastri went quickest in FP3, but both were unsettled in windy conditions during Q3. Charles Leclerc coped with the conditions the best, clinching pole position for Ferrari.

For Clarkson, that outcome underlined what he views as the fragility of modern Formula 1.

With margins tighter than ever between six different cars, the 64-year-old insists that outside elements like wind should not be decisive factors in deciding the grid.

Piastri acknowledged the role the gusty conditions played in McLaren's loss of pole in a 'pathetic to blame it on the wind' remark during the post-session interviews, with teammate Norris and even Leclerc himself outlining the issue.