Hill: Ecclestone's driver criticism unfair

Ecclestone caused a stir earlier this month when he claimed that drivers and teams needed to give more back to the fans. He singled out World Champion Fernando Alonso as the classic example of a champion who was not doing his best for the sport.

Speaking to British television channel ITV, Ecclestone said: "We have a World Champion now, Fernando, who doesn't do too much."

Hill believes that such criticism is unwarranted - and that the entire sport has to take some responsibility for a situation where F1 is criticised for not being fan-friendly enough.

"I think it's very easy to point the finger at the drivers, but I think the nature of the sport is partly to blame," said Hill, who won the World Championship in 1996.

"The sport has become quantifiably more professional - the requirements to be a racing driver are hugely greater now then they were.

"It's more akin to football now, but if you're on the football field, you can display your talents and you can engage with the fans immediately.

"It is a factor that needs addressing and it will have an effect on the way the sport communicates itself. But I think that it's too simplistic to say that the drivers don't put enough back.

"They do what they are told to do, which is concentrate on the job and drive. And it's very difficult to find time to do anything other than testing."

Hill does admit, however, that the interaction between drivers and the fans is vital for the health of Formula One - and indeed provides a key element for any sport.

As a former star, and in his new role as president of the British Racing Drivers' Club, Hill is more than well qualified to talk about the importance that spectators play in making F1 a success.

Speaking about racing in front of a supportive crowd, Hill said: "It is not quite like tennis or football where you are immediately exposed to the rawness of the crowd, but when I was racing and when Nigel (Mansell) was there, it is very obvious when you are in the cockpit you can see the reaction from the crowd.

"It is a very fast Mexican wave that goes around the track as people get their things out and start waving. And if the guy in front is pulling away from you then they start waving and you think, 'oh I better start going faster.'

"You do get a feedback from the crowd, and the crowd reaction is another essential part of the thrill of performing as a sportsman. If there isn't a mass of people there who are emotionally involved in an event then I don't know if it would be as stimulating to do it. That is key and fundamental to the reasons for sport existing."

Hill's belief that the entire sport needs to look to itself for the answers on how to improve the show come on the back of comments from McLaren boss Ron Dennis that the fun needed to be put back in F1.

"It's important that we think about humanising F1 and encouraging fun back into the sport," said Dennis. "We have to keep Formula One's mystique of course, but the drivers need to be more known."

Those comments did not go down well with Ecclestone, however, who claimed that Dennis was one of the men who had done the least to help improve F1's image.

"I'm concerned with Ron and his statements because he's the last person to do any of those things," said Ecclestone in the ITV interview.

"You can't get his drivers to talk to anybody and they never participate in anything.

"It would be great if he started doing what he's saying we should be doing. I think what he's saying (is what) everybody else should be doing except McLaren. Hopefully the teams and drivers will realise they have to give a little bit more back to the sport."