Circuit officials from Spa-Francorchamps should, at the very least, expect a call from world motorsport's governing body, the FIA, an organisation which once banned Jerez from staging races following political interference in the podium ceremony in 1997.

There will be arguments over the success or failure the protest, given the lack of TV impact, but this was the most serious security breach at a Grand Prix since Neil Horan, dressed as a priest, ran along the track at the 2003 British Grand Prix and the most notable against a sponsor of the sport since a disgruntled former Mercedes-Benz employee wandered along the side of the track at the 2000 German Grand Prix. Embarrassing Shell on its biggest PR day of the year? Priceless. 'But what I can’t respect is what the sponsor of the event, Shell, is doing to the Arctic.' An accompanying video of the podium ceremony, shot from the grandstand and later posted by Greenpeace, added: ‘Banner material: €50. 'I can certainly respect the technology, sportsmanship and innovation that are at the heart of the Formula One Grand Prix,' wrote Kumi Naidoo, the executive director of Greenpeace in a blog post. Hugh Mitchell, Shell International's chief human resources and corporate officer, presented the trophy to the winning constructor as planned. They were swiftly removed by Formula One's podium manager Alex Molina out of sight of the world feed television broadcast, which turned a blind eye.

More banners, controlled remotely, were revealed on the podium as the national anthems rang out, reportedly having been placed there up to two weeks earlier. 'Arctic Oil? Shell No!' read a banner unfurled on the grandstand after Greenpeace micro gliders landed on the roof in the hour before the race. So it can't have been too impressed with the security arrangements at Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday, which allowed Greenpeace to infiltrate the grandstand and Shell-branded podium to protest at the company's arctic drilling activities. Shell is one of the major spenders in Formula One, paying around US$30 million per year to sponsor Ferrari, with whom it has a contract up until the end of 2015 and, since 2011, investing a multi-million dollar sum with Formula One itself to title sponsor the Belgian Grand Prix.

Business diary eugene kaspersky