'You have to be patient': Jeremy Clarkson and Martin Brundle clash over lackluster Japanese Grand Prix

TV personality Jeremy Clarkson and Formula 1 pundit Martin Brundle have clashed over the former's calls for the class to abandon tracks where overtaking is difficult.

In what was a largely pedestrian Japanese Grand Prix, the top six and eight of the top-10 placegetters finished in grid order. Lewis Hamilton's move on Isack Hadjar for seventh on lap nine was the only change to the top 10.

After Sunday's race, Clarkson took to X to express his boredom over the quiet race.

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"That F1 race this morning gave me an idea of what it might be like to watch cricket," he wrote.

Days later, he suggested that F1 steer clear of tracks that are difficult to overtake.

"I've had an idea to make F1 racing more consistently exciting," he wrote on Tuesday.

"Don't use tracks where overtaking is difficult."

Clarkson was not the only one to lament the procession-like nature of the race. Several drivers, including Charles Leclerc and Alex Albon, described their races as "boring".

In the cool-down room, Oscar Piastri expressed surprise over the short duration of the highlights package played to the top three.

While not in attendance during the race weekend in Suzuka, Brundle, a former F1 driver and current analyst for Sky Sports F1, quickly responded to the post from the former Top Gear host.

"Jezza it's a bit like a harvest, sometimes you have to be patient," he wrote on Wednesday, quoting Clarkson's post.

"From four starts this season we've had four different winners. Some football matches are nil-nil. Some are last-minute 5-4 thrillers.

"That's sport. I know you love F1 really. Change the cars, not the tracks."

Several elements of the cars themselves also make overtaking difficult. The cars produce a large amount of turbulence, referred to as "dirty air", which negatively affects the performance of the trailing car.

Clarkson replied: "Agree of course. But there are no football pitches which virtually guarantee a 0-0 draw."

Several tracks on the F1 calendar are known to be more difficult for overtaking due to several factors. These include Monaco and Hungary, among others.

Melbourne and Abu Dhabi were once on that list before changes to the track layout were made for better racing.

In Suzuka, the resurfacing of the twisty first third of the lap, as well as the specification of tyres supplier Pirelli brought to the race meeting were contributors.

On Sunday, the race start was clean as Max Verstappen took the lead with the top starters on the grid falling into line behind him.

While strategy is always at the forefront of racing, there were only 15 overtakes after the opening lap.

Practice for this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix begins at 9:30pm on Friday.