Outside Line: Award for the stupidest person or people in Formula 1 goes to....

A whole spate of new Formula 1 regulations has dawned on our sport. New cars. New engines. A new era. And yet, somewhere in the upper reaches of the sport, the dumbest decision imaginable was made.

Someone, or a group of someones, aka idiots, decided to impose a controlled blackout on the very 'event' that kick-starts the season. The most important day in Formula 1 with a bagful of new rules.

Fans in Barcelona were denied access to the circuit. Gates locked. As were journalists, who paid their own way, knowing full well it would be difficult to access, were shut out completely. People who depend on Formula 1 for their livelihood were treated as an inconvenience.

It is stupid. It is obscene. It is a total disrespect to fans, to the media, and by extension, to the teams themselves. And for what?

The excuse, one has to assume, was fear. Fear that cars would break down. Fear that parts would fail. Fear of a repeat of 2014, when everyone except Mercedes turned up flat-footed. Absolute BS.

The cars look excellent and sound great. They are reliable. They seem fast. The nightmare scenarios clearly did not materialise. Furthermore, this decision is an insult to the teams and crews who got their act together for Spain.

These are the same media that report on Formula 1 relentlessly. Promote the narrative 24/7/365. Not just over 24 race weekends, but every single day of the year. The same journalists who build the narrative, the drama, the relevance, and the reach of the sport.

But the people running Formula 1 seem to believe it belongs only to them, to the point that they deny access to one of the most important days of a new regulatory cycle. The irony is brutal.

The new regulations have produced some genuinely sexy cars. They look aggressive. They look purposeful. And they seem impressively reliable. Drivers sporting smiles rather than frowns after stints in their new cars.

Yes, some teams have dropped the ball. Williams are missing. Aston Martin has question marks swirling. Ferrari, we hope, has a decent car; McLaren remains unseen. But the reality is clear. We are going to have fast cars. Competitive cars. Cars that last, despite the new engine rules.

And this is information I should not be sharing! Because technically, I should not be getting it.

No one is meant to get information, except Formula1.com, which has engineered, deliberately or otherwise, a situation where it is the sole purveyor of news from one of the most significant season openings in decades. That is called: controlling the narrative.

This matters even more in a year where Cadillac enters the sport, drawing American attention like never before, and Audi arrives with its own engine. An 11th team today. A 12th next? The stakes could not be higher.

But this is not about Cadillac. Or Audi. Or Ford, for that matter

This is about the stupidest person or people in Formula 1. Whether it was a committee or a one-man ego trip, the decision to keep the media out and the manner in which it was done is a travesty.

The award for the 'Dumbest Decision of the Year' is already secured, and the season has barely begun.

Now, with egg on their face, Formula 1 (or whoever is responsible for being so thick) could do the right thing and allow media and fans at least for the final days of the Barcelona test. There is nothing to hide, and ultimately nowhere to hide. And the harder they try, the more intensely we will look.

In closing, I salute Jad Mallak for relentlessly reporting what 'leaked' out of the behind-the-closed-doors Formula 1 test in Barcelona. So much for the secrecy!