MotoGP more exciting, better than F1, says Niki Lauda

Racing icons: F1 legend Niki Lauda with MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi at Brno

Austrian Formula One legend and three-time world champion Niki Lauda said yesterday that he thought MotoGP was superior to Formula One in terms of a spectator sport.

Lauda, who was watching the Czech Grand Prix at Brno yesterday, told assembled media at a press conference that he found the racing at the track impressive.

“It’s unbelievable, 350kph or more, and to watch how they control them – it’s the most incredible racing you can see today,” he said.

Formula One has often been accused of attrition, with several people saying the sport has become ‘boring’, relying far too much on the vehicles than drivers. Technological innovations have also meant that bigger teams have more money at their disposal to put behind innovation, leading to F1 becoming a sport for only the richest teams.

The F1 legend appeared to agree with this sentiment, saying cars had “become so easy to drive” now. While several of today’s F1 drivers are doubtless skilled, the focus is taken away from their prowess and focused on the most powerful engines – in this case, those of Mercedes, who have led the grids since the start of the season, and almost faultlessly so barring the upset at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Lauda, who is the non-executive chairman of the Mercedes AMG Petronas racing team, said they were “working on the cars to be more difficult to drive again."