[woodcote]

To be honest, I find it quite easy to keep my mouth shut if a marshal bungles a re-slot. There is never any excuse to yell 'MARSHAAAAAL!!!' - first names will do if someone is looking the wrong way. And then a "thank you". Unfortunately, there is a culture in some clubs of tolerating drivers who get angry and abusive - but there's nothing to say cultures can't be changed. Of course, people have to actively do something to change it - or those who don't fancy an evening of abuse just won't come back.

As for Horner, it wasn't a heat-of-the-moment remark - he repeated it word-for-word to various broadcasters and journalists on Sunday morning, the day after the incident. It was a blatant lie - he and his team had plenty of time to review the evidence. He also defended the indefensible - the bottom line is that flags have to be obeyed at all times and not seeing a flag is never an excuse. It's a fundamental principle of motorsport safety that Horner seems not to understand, despite having been a racing driver when he was younger.

He went further with the "rogue marshal" comment - a bizarre claim that makes him probably the only person on the planet to slag off and undermine marshals in a year when their importance to the sport has been universally celebrated. Horner is an important person in motorsport and is a role model - what he says has an impact and has consequences. If that "rogue marshal" comment lodges in just one young racer's mind, he's put people's lives at risk. Maybe he should be invited to spend some days 'on the bank' during 2022?