McLaren backs Ricciardo following blast at F1

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has offered his support to Daniel Ricciardo by claiming Formula 1 must promote more than just the "danger" of the sport.

In an interview with 'square mile' Ricciardo labelled the F1 social media team as "f***ing idiots" for glorifying crashes, making specific reference to six accidents featuring in a "top-10-moments-of-the-year" video.

Speaking ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, the Australian conceded he was "too aggressive" and has "certainly got to be better with my choice of words".

Despite acknowledging he had overstepped the boundaries of what is acceptable with his comments, Ricciardo stood by the overall message there were "better stories" the sport could promote instead of crashes.

After hearing his driver's clarification, Seidl backed Ricciardo. He said: “I just want to make it clear that from our point of view, Formula 1’s social media team has done - and is still doing - an excellent job of promoting our sport.

"I think, if you also look at the numbers, they have delivered a rapid growth in the engagement in recent years, managing to connect to a lot of new audiences.

“Our sport is one of the most exciting in the world, with plenty of interesting stories both on and off track."

In his original remarks, Ricciardo, who was also vocal last year in his disdain for F1's constant broadcasting of replays of Romain Grosjean's horrific crash in Bahrain, claimed crash compilations appealed to "12-year-old kids".

Seidl added: “Whilst the danger may be a big part of the appeal to some fans, I agree with Daniel there is a bigger and more positive story to be told about the sport which Formula 1 is also doing.

“I think Daniel was also clear with his statement in the press conference, he simply didn’t use the right language, and the topic, I would say, is closed like that.”

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