Comment made about driver Lance Stroll, son of Formula 1 team owner Lawrence Stroll, by Sky Germany pundit Ralf Schumacher have led to Aston Martin taking action

Aston Martin are unhappy with a perceived lack of balance in the broadcaster’s reporting(Image: Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Aston Martin denied interview requests made by the German-language edition of Sky Sports at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Mirror Sport can confirm. The dramatic move comes amid concerns over the broadcaster’s reporting in recent weeks which the team, it is understood, felt has lacked balance.

So in Budapest, all direct interview requests made to the team were denied. That explains why team owner Lawrence Stroll turned down an interview with host Peter Hardenacke and pundit Ralf Schumacher live on air at the Hungaroring.

And the Canadian billionaire was not the only one who was not interested in engaging with Sky Germany. Neither of their drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lawrence’s son Lance Stroll, would give interviews, nor would any other Aston Martin personnel.

“I know they are not giving us any more interviews because they do not like us that much at the moment,” Schumacher said during the broadcast. And it seems it was comments made by the former F1 racer which were the final straw for the team.

Schumacher was highly critical of Stroll Jnr after the British Grand Prix, demanding that the Canadian racer apologise to his colleagues for a sweary rant over the radio during the Silverstone race despite finishing seventh and bagging six points in difficult conditions.

But is was not the only piece of reporting which has concerned Aston Martin in recent weeks, it is understood. In general, the feeling at the Silverstone-based squad is that Sky Germany’s reporting in general has not been balanced in recent times. Sky’s English-language output is not affected, evidenced by Lance Stroll speaking to host Natalie Pinkham after he finished seventh in Sunday’s Hungary race.

But Sky Germany, which holds the F1 broadcast rights in the European country, rarely engages with the team in other more official media opportunities, such as the FIA press conferences and the TV pen, which is open to broadcasters after qualifying on a Saturday and the race on a Sunday at each Grand Prix.

Aston Martin’s move is not a full boycott, as it is understood that drivers Alonso and Stroll will continue to speak with Sky Germany in the TV pen if they wish. The German broadcaster’s reporters are also still free to speak with the drivers and team principal Andy Cowell in open media sessions held on a Thursday before a Grand Prix, known as ‘media day’ in the paddock.

Ralf Schumacher’s comments about Lance Stroll are believed to have been the final straw(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The German-language arm has had its access to the team limited for now, though. It remains to be seen whether Aston Martin will continue to give them the cold shoulder when F1 returns at the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August, following the three-week summer break.

But it is understood that the team does not plan to simply forget and move on. Aston Martin will want to see an improvement in terms of the balance of Sky Germany’s reporting on its performance and drivers before deciding to fully open back up again. The broadcaster is thought to have admitted that their criticism of the team has been too harsh of late.

It is not the first time in recent years that a team has decided to limit the access of a broadcaster. At the 2022 Mexican Grand Prix, Red Bull avoided speaking with the British edition of Sky Sports F1 over the course of the whole race weekend in response to pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz suggesting Lewis Hamilton had been “robbed” of the title the previous year.

Hamilton was infamously beaten to glory by Max Verstappen in a controversial finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix the previous December. But Kravitz’s comments about that outcome 10 months on led to Red Bull banning interviews with Sky’s British, German and Italian broadcasts, the boycott only being ended at the next race in Brazil as Verstappen confirmed: “We drew a line under it.”