LEWIS HAMILTON AGREES WITH MAX VERSTAPPEN OVER ‘WEIRD FEELING’
After five grands prix under F1’s new regulatory era, Lewis Hamilton is adamant that F1 is “not what motorsport should be”.
Lewis Hamilton has concurred with fellow F1 champion Max Verstappen that F1 is “not what motorsport should be” as he continues to experience “a weird feeling” despite finding a happy place again in Canada at the weekend.
Over the past few months, Red Bull driver Verstappen has been F1’s most outspoken critic, going so far as to indicate that unless proposed changes are not pushed through for next season, then he will more than likely walk away.
Despite finishing on the podium for the first time this year with third at Montréal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, and seemingly enjoying his racing again, Verstappen doubled down on his threats.
The 28-year-old insisted that the sport had become “too complex” and that F1 “needs to be more pure”.
Verstappen feels that a 60-40 split between combustion and electrical energy will go some way towards alleviating the problem, but even then, it is not as far as he would like.
Verstappen was joined on the podium by second-placed Hamilton, the first time they had shared such a position since the 2024 British Grand Prix, when they finished second and winner respectively. On this occasion, they were beaten by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.
Hamilton conceded to being “so happy” after his performance over the weekend, and that he had had “so much fun out there” on the track, in particular, battling with Verstappen.
There was an argument for suggesting that, in finding a level of enjoyment under the new rules, the racing is now becoming second nature.
As far as seven-time F1 champion Hamilton is concerned, however, nothing could be further from the truth.
“It’s definitely not second nature, that’s for sure,” he said, speaking to the media, including RacingNews365. “It continues to be a weird feeling.
“You go down the power, you open up the SM [straightline mode], and then the power dies halfway down the straight, and the RPM starts dropping. It doesn’t feel like what motorsport should be.
“The engine should be ringing its neck off right to the end of the straight and just pulling and pulling. That’s what they used to do in the V8 times or the V10 times. They would just pull and pull.
“It’s another element of racing that was never there before, and maybe that’s why it’s… I mean, I think ultimately the car is fundamentally a better design, so we can race and get close and follow each other closely, and I think that’s the best part of it.
“The power part, though, is less exciting.”