British favourite Nigel Mansell has slꦜammed Formula One on eve of the British Grand Prix, claiming he can no longer 'go on defending the indefensiꦜble', when people claim it is a load of 'rubbish'.

Speaking to British newspaper, The Times, the 1992 world champion, added that✤ he is 'disappointed' to see F1 in its current predica🙈ment.

"I'm sick of people coming up to me and saying what a load of rubbish Formula One is now," Mansell🔯 told the broadsheet. "I've tried to defend it because it meant such a lot to me for so many years, but even I can no longer go on defending the indefensible.

"How can you when there is virtually no overtakin﷽g on the track and little genuine exc🅰itement?

"The important overtaking happens in the pitsﷺ. What you're left with is three sprint races between the pit stops rather th🎐an a proper, competitive grand prix and test of driving ability.

"We've had a few incidents at Monaco and Indianapolis, but overall the entertainment value has simply not been good enough. It saddens me to say it, but I'm just appalled at how the regulations aജre ruining Formula One. And it's🏅 not just the races.

"Fans are bemused and shocked at the way qualifying ꦍhas been turned into a bore. Even a coup♎le of team owners have told me Formula One is in a mess and they hate it. They don't enjoy going to grands prix any more. I find that amazing - yet significant.

"I still keep in touch with what's happening in Formula One and I'll usually sit down to watch the start of a grand prix, but after a few laps I find I can't w❀atch any more and💃 switch off. It's that bad."

Ma💦nsell was quick to point out though that Ferrari a🔯re not to blame.

"I have to stress first of all that I am not knocking Ferra♎ri or Michael [Schumacher]," he continued. "They have done a fantastic job, not only this season but for a number of seasons and deserve their success.

"But then the regulations, far from helping the other teams, are helping Fer♚rari, who have an incredible record of reliability. Michael last had a breakdown three years ago,ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ so which team is likely to be least affected by the one engine rule? Ferrari, of course. And if they do have to change an engine and forfeit places on the grid, they are the one team capable of making up those places. It's a Mickey Mouse rule and what we're left with is not a level playing field. I don't buy the argument about saving money. It's nothing compared with the cost of development and testing.

"A fundamental problem is that the cars are too easy to drive.ಞ The most inexperienced young driver can climb into a Formula One car and drive it competently. Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsport and engineering excellence, but it should be the ultimate test of driving ability. It is 🧸no longer that and, as a result, it is almost impossible to evaluate drivers.

"You can't ju𓆏dge anyone until you strip the cars of the technical stuff and put them back into the control of the drivers.

"Then you get a farce such as 🌱the one at the Canadian Grand Prix, where the Williams and Toyota cars were disqualified three hours after the race. How does that make Formula One look? Spectators pay good money to see the race. They go home thinking they know the result and then some time later discover it wa✱sn't like that at all. We have to think more about the public and less about minor technicalities.

"The FIA have to address the whole situation sooner rather than later. They could turn it around quite quickly. When you hear that BMW are considering pulling out of Formula One it has to set off the alarm bells. There are only 20 cars now compared with 26 a few years ago. Grand-prix racing needs major manufacturers and new teams to be attracted to it. Formula One shou꧒ld be the greatest spectacle in motoꦚr sport and it's so disappointing to see the state that it's in."