Adrian Newey, renowned Formula 1 engineer, has criticized Sky Sports F1 and the broader British media for their 'nationalistic' coverage, which he claims has unfairly demonized top drivers Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel. Newey, who recently announced his move to Aston Martin in 2025, expressed these views during an interview on the High Performance podcast. He noted that both Verstappen and Vettel have been misunderstood and undervalued by the media, which tends to either idolize or vilify athletes. Sky Sports, holding F1 broadcasting rights since 2012, has a global influence that Newey believes perpetuates this biased portrayal. Newey highlighted Verstappen's exceptional driving skills, comparing his ability to drive 'automatically' to that of a computer processing multiple tasks. This media treatment has been especially apparent during Verstappen's and Vettel's championship-winning periods with Red Bull Racing.