F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone says there was nothing sinister behind the lack of coverage Mercedes' cars received during last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
Immediately after the race Niki Lauda said he planned to ask Ecclestone why Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, who finished first and second, were shown so rarely on the Formula One Management (FOM) world feed. The broadcast spent most of the race focused on midfield battles as Hamilton never came under threat from another driver after dispatching Rosberg at Turn 1.
Lauda claimed the lack of coverage was "funny", saying he saw "Saubers and a lot of Honda cars and all this", with the FOM coverage fuelling online conspiracy theories the coverage was slanted against Mercedes as punishment for refusing to supply Red Bull with its dominant engine for 2016.
Mercedes featured on the FOM's world feed for approximately six minutes of Sunday's race. By contrast, according to Motorsport Magazin, the team received 10 minutes of coverage in Singapore, 30 minutes in Italy, 26 minutes in Belgium and 45 minutes in Hungary.
However Ecclestone has hit back at claims there was anything political behind the coverage.
"We talked about TV coverage a few weeks ago and came to the conclusion that midfield runners should be shown more often," Ecclestone told Germany's Die Welt. "Focusing exclusively on the leading cars is boring, but we're also doing it to help support the midfield teams. And both Toto [Wolff] and Niki know these considerations and understand them. There was no manipulation."
The Ferraris, which finished third and fourth, also failed to feature prominently, with most of the overtaking and close battles for position taking place further down the field. Both McLaren-Honda's featured regularly and Ecclestone admitted the Japanese producer may have over-emphasised his focus on the midfield battles.