‘Hasn’t delivered what it said,’ Lewis Hamilton left dissatisfied with new F1 regulations

While he admits there has been a "little" improvement in F1 cars with regards to dirty air, Lewis Hamilton isn't completely happy with the new regulations.

‘Hasn’t delivered what it said,’ Lewis Hamilton left dissatisfied with new F1 regulations

Lewis Hamilton

The goal of the 2022 regulation changes was primarily to create closer competition. They featured a return-to-ground effect technology, and the promise was that with the reduction of dirty air, there’ll be closer racing. In turn, the car regulations, combined with the cost cap and aerodynamic testing restrictions, would bunch up the field. To some extent, that’s happened. But, on top, Red Bull still continues to frustrate their (potential) rivals – Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes included.

In the midfield and lower, the competition is certainly closer. But generally, none of them are able to compete with the now top 4 teams – Red Bull, Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Mercedes. In addition, Carlos Sainz felt that following other cars – which the regulations were supposed to improve, is still as difficult as it was with the previous generation of cars. He blamed downforce improvements and the ‘new regulations’ for this.

YouTube video

It’s been speculated that the ‘dirty air’ is related to the ‘outwash elements’ that are being added more and more to F1 cars. In addition, the floor changes to combat porpoising, which included raising the floors’ lateral edge by 15mm, have also been blamed. That is because, to minimize the downforce loss from that, teams have been adding all sorts of components to their floors. These components increase the dirty air, making it more difficult to follow.

FS Video

Hamilton, for what it’s worth felt it has remained the ‘same as in the past’. When asked about the dirty air from 2023 cars, the seven-time world champion said as per Motorsport Week: “Nope, it’s the same as the past. I think last year for us was pretty bad with the bouncing, because you’ve got the turbulence and the bouncing, whereas this year we don’t have the bouncing, so we have less issues following cars.”

Read More: Lewis Hamilton recalls getting “absolutely hammered” on a wild night in the pub during his teens

Lewis Hamilton: Following other F1 cars still easier than with 2021 cars

Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton

Despite Lewis Hamilton’s feeling that following F1 cars is still the same as it was in 2022, unlike Carlos Sainz, he felt it was still better than with the previous generation of cars. The Briton said: “I think it’s still a little bit better than the previous generation of cars.” However, he also felt that the regulations haven’t completely delivered: “But hasn’t delivered everything that it said it would, so got some improvements to make hopefully for the future.”

Despite whether cars can follow each other more closely or not, every team will be hoping that they can close the gap to Red Bull. Mercedes and Ferrari included. Obviously, having a generally (relatively) faster car will compensate for the dirty air – because you might already be in front by the time it comes into play. But if the dirty air does become a really big problem, it’s possible that the FIA will intervene, as they did with porpoising – though that is different, because it was a safety issue.

Red Bull did not look as untouchable in Australia as they had in previous events. That’s an encouraging sign. Plus, all three of their main rivals – Aston Martin, Ferrari and Mercedes, are all planning major upgrades around the Imola GP. It will be interesting to see how much of a step forward they can take there. If RB continue in their current fashion, then it looks unlikely the other teams will catch up – but the battle for P2 may heat up significantly.

In case you missed it: