Lewis Hamilton says Formula 1’s current technical rules must be altered before the next scheduled overhaul in 2026 to avoid continued Red Bull dominance.
A wholesale regulation change was introduced at the start of last season with the overall aim of enabling cars to follow closer to promote better racing and provide a more condensed field spread.
While the new era started encouragingly with more exciting racing, the second year for the current set of rules has seen drivers regularly complain about the return of increased dirty air being primarily responsible for several drab races occurring in 2023.
Aside from concerns about the racing product, Hamilton retains concerns that Red Bull, who have won 14 of the last 15 races – could remain unchallenged through to 2026 if no changes are made before the regulations are reshaped.
“I think it’s good that we’re trying new things,” the Brit professed ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. “I think it’s important that we continue to move forward and evolve. The technology has evolved.
“It is just unfortunate we still see the same sort of gaps between teams. I don’t know what the solution is for the future, but I think we’re going to have to continue to adapt these regulations moving forwards otherwise it could be the same as it is now for years, until 2026. If we don’t do a better job, which we’re working on doing.”
Despite his remonstrations about the present lack of competition in F1, Hamilton concedes he is enjoying the current generation of cars more since Mercedes got on top of the porpoising problem that stifled its form throughout last season.
However, the seven-time World Champion admits he would ideally like to see a return to lighter cars in the future, with the current machines the heaviest in F1 history.
“I like the cars without the bouncing,” he asserted. “They’re a little bit heavy, I wouldn’t say making the cars heavy is a good idea. That’s about it.”
F1’s continued attempts to crack the American market will see three races take place in the United States this season.
The Circuit of the Americas venue in Texas has been a permanent fixture since 2012 and was joined by the debut of a race in Miami last year, with a highly-anticipated night race in Las Vegas also pencilled in to host the penultimate round of the 2023 World Championship.
Ahead of Miami’s second hosting of an F1 round a fortnight ago, Hamilton, who eventually finished sixth in the race, said he would sympathise with American fans if they found the current state of the series boring.
“It’s not my job to convince people to watch a sport,” he protested when asked whether Red Bull’s margin of superiority would turn people away from watching.
“I mean, I’m not watching it. It’s not boring for me. I’m challenged every single day trying to get back to the front. So it’s definitely not boring from my perspective.
“But, as a racing fan watching, I can understand because it’s not as much competition as they’re perhaps used to with the NFL and the NBA at the moment. That’s not my doing.”
He added: “[F1] needs to do better, I think, as a sport. They have already tried to bring the teams closer, but it never seems to work. So all I can say is that we’re working as hard as we can to close up and get back to give them some more excitement.”
