▁driver ▁Johnny ▁Herbert ▁were ▁equally ▁critical , ▁describing ▁it ▁as ▁" r ub b ish " ▁and ▁" emb arr ass ing ". ▁Red ▁Bull ▁team ▁director ▁Christian ▁Hor ner ▁was ▁apolog etic , ▁describing ▁the ▁format ▁as ▁"[ not ] ▁good ▁for ▁Formula ▁One ." ▁N iki ▁La uda , ▁non - exec utive ▁chairman ▁at ▁Mer cedes , ▁was ▁in ▁agreement , ▁calling ▁it ▁" a ▁big ▁mistake ." ▁Part icular ▁criticism ▁was ▁aim ed ▁at ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁many ▁drivers ▁did ▁not ▁get ▁enough ▁time ▁to ▁improve ▁on ▁their ▁lap ▁times , ▁seeing ▁many ▁getting ▁out ▁of ▁their ▁co ck p its ▁while ▁still ▁techn ically ▁in ▁cont ention . ▁ ▁World ▁Champion ▁Dam on ▁Hill ▁observed ▁that ▁pole - s itter ▁Hamilton ▁" could ▁have ▁w aved ▁his ▁own ▁che quer ed ▁flag ▁[...] ▁with ▁four ▁minutes ▁still ▁to ▁go ." ▁N ico ▁Ros berg ▁acknowled ged ▁that ▁it ▁had ▁" not ▁worked ", ▁while ▁Sebastian ▁V ett el ▁was ▁equally ▁critical , ▁describing ▁it ▁as ▁" the ▁wrong ▁way ▁to ▁go ." ▁Lewis ▁Hamilton ▁joined ▁the ▁criticism ▁but ▁acknowled ged ▁the ▁attempt ▁to ▁rev ital ise ▁the ▁format . ▁Bern ie ▁E cc l estone , ▁the ▁commercial ▁rights ▁holder ▁of ▁Formula ▁One , ▁spoke ▁out ▁against ▁the ▁format ▁as ▁well , ▁declaring ▁it ▁to ▁be ▁" pre tty ▁c rap ". ▁On ▁the ▁day ▁of ▁the ▁race , ▁the ▁teams ▁of ▁Formula ▁ 1 ▁voted ▁a ▁proposal ▁to ▁go ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁qual ifying ▁format ▁as ▁it