Marko, Lauda, criticise delayed qualifying

F1 veterans Dr Helmut Marko and Niki Lauda have hit out at Saturday’s farcically-delayed qualifying session at Monza.

In the past, rain would not have necessarily stopped play at Monza, but in 2017 the FIA decided to delay proceedings for hours after Romain Grosjean’s aquaplaning crash.

"We have the best drivers here, the best chassis and the best tyres," Red Bull official Marko said.

"If Grosjean goes out, that is not meaningful as all the others did not," he added.

Told that safety car driver Bernd Maylander was giving feedback about the treacherous conditions, Marko answered: "Yes. Because when it’s wet, it’s slippery for everyone."

His fellow Austrian and F1 legend Lauda, meanwhile, said the real problem wasn’t the FIA’s caution, but the constant 15-minute delays that ultimately added up to a more than two-hour wait for action.

"It was just boring and pointless," he said. "I’d like to have seen a sensible decision for the whole sport and the spectators."