Furious F1 fans vent at officials

FURIOUS Formula One fans have unloaded on the sport’s officials after a farcical ending to the Italian Grand Prix.

Instead of racing to the chequered flag, the teams all drove slowly across the line in a boring procession behind the safety car after Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo broke down at the side of the track with a handful of laps to go.

Instead of issuing a red flag – which would have briefly stopped the race while Ricciardo’s stationary McLaren was removed from the circuit – the race stewards decided to deploy a yellow safety car.

That meant that the cars all continued to drive around the iconic Monza track – the fastest on the F1 calendar – in parade formation, unable to hit the accelerator or overtake, ending any hopes of a grandstand finish.

Fans understandably vented their anger at the post match presentation, booing officials as race winner Max Verstappen was handed his trophy. The Dutchman insisted he was not to blame for the flat finish.

“It happens,” he said. “Everyone speaks to me about it with the booing and stuff but at the end of the day I am here to try and win the race which we’ve done.

“Some people cannot appreciate that because they are very passionate fans for a different team. It is what it is. It is not going to spoil my day, I am just enjoying the moment.”

Verstappen’s comments won’t come as any surprise because the Red Bull driver was the main beneficiary of the questionable ruling and is now within grasp of winning his second world title.

The Flying Dutchman (pictured) leads by 116 points with six rounds to go.