Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Paul Ricard, 2018

Hamilton: F1 rule makers have been “very balanced over the last couple of years”

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In the round-up: Hamilton says that F1 should have big prices for errors, as we head to Paul Ricard.

What they say

We already had a drivers briefing the other day, we were already discussing lots of different elements – runoff elements, why had they put those runoff areas there in the past and I think it was to not lose wrecked cars in the race, to not use the safety car so I think there’s lots of different things that Formula One can do to make the racing better and to make it harder for us drivers. When I talked about making it harder, I remember back in the day that I remember at the start of being in Formula One – or even probably GP2 or Formula 3 going through Pouhon in Spa and it being all grass and gravel on the exit, so if you just went a little bit too deep you paid the price – and that’s how Formula One should be.

The rookies generally pay the price in those scenarios – there’s lots of little things that make it too easy in that respect. They are always altering things to try and make the racing better and they make these rules and they lean on these rules and I think they’re doing a great job, in my opinion. I think they’ve been very good, very balanced over the last couple of years.

Quotes: Dieter Rencken

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Comment of the day

Jeanrien has a suggestion for financial leverage outside the big three F1 teams:

That is actually a topic where the smaller teams could have a lot of weight and the issue is not the cap in itself, it’s that teams are overspending.

To clarify, the smaller teams are not competing for victories and are currently a long way from the leaders. What if they agree to reach a ‘sustainable’ situation between themselves and compete with the money they have and will earn back. The gap to the leaders will probably grow but smaller teams finance will get better (as Williams proved last year).

This will surely trigger some reaction from FIA to close the performance gap as the majority of teams will be even further from the big 3 as they are now. Leading eventually to smaller teams competing sustainably.
If they can unite, they probably have as much weight as the big three on this.

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Author information

Hazel Southwell
Hazel is a motorsport and automotive journalist with a particular interest in hybrid systems, electrification, batteries and new fuel technologies....

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25 comments on “Hamilton: F1 rule makers have been “very balanced over the last couple of years””

  1. Hamilton sounds like an old man.

    “These youngsters have it to easy with their paved runoffs and couching over the radio.

    “When I was a rookie they even put gravel along the pit entrances. You could get stuck in the gravel just ’cause your tires were worn. Heck, I’d been WDC in my rookie year with these new paved runoffs!

    “We had to DRIVE the cars too. None of this engineer in your ear telling ya every button push all race. They put me in the wrong mode once in Baku, it took me most of the blame race to figure it out. I’d have another WDC with the points I missed that day.

    “Kids today have it so easy”

    1. Exactly, @slotopen. I remember the days when Lewis was a young whippersnapping rookie. We had to walk to the track to see him. Uphill. Both ways.

      Now these young kids only care about more power, downforce and money for nothing.

      1. you had a hill? bloody luxury

    2. MAYBE ! but he is not wrong (says the old man) and neither of you mentioned the high rate of fatalities before Lewis was born.

      1. @hohum. Agree, he’s not wrong. I was just having some fun, old man. Or was until you left the Monty Python reference for dead at the side of the metaphor. ;-)

        1. Wot…In the days when we had to “lick track clean with tongue”…these kids.

          1. And ya tell ’em that and they don’t believe you!

        2. @jimmi-cynic, Err yep, Sorry Jimmi, your comment appeared only when I posted mine, the ” neither of you” comment referred to LH and @slotopen, not you. I always enjoy a good laugh, and I don’t mind (much) coming in as second cynic.

          1. No need to apologize, @hohum. I’m a self-centred cynic, so it’s always about me. ;-)

            Altho… 2nd Cynic is a very attractive arm-chair management title too. Will have to focus group it and let you know what the new cynical marketing platform can do for me.

            ;-)

      2. Well I don’t want to top trump you lot; but when the like of Stirling or Clark crashed into those bails of hay I was safe the other side of that bail; protected by a rope between some posts. But dad said I was safe as long as i kept my feet the right side of the rope. You spectators (and Monty Python) don’t know you are born.

  2. Until it effects him and the Merc rocket ship… Silly kid doesn’t realised how privileged he is!

    1. Anthony Blears
      20th June 2019, 1:58

      Ah, gotcha. 5 x WDC, one of the greatest drivers of all time, and he’s a “silly kid”. Honestly…

      1. remind us how many of those titles were won in dominant cars?

        1. He had teammates to fight for those titles unlike some drivers that won their titles fighting nobody

        2. @genimi, I shouldn’t waste my time, but since i’m here ; Remind us how many titles were won by non-dominant cars.

          1. @HoHum, this won’t work, you know – the point still stands, HAM doesn’t work any harder than his peers. If you claim otherwise – prove it, and the onus would be on you. Due to Mercedes dominance, if anything he has to work less than others. Moreover, he wouldn’t have 5 titles if not for the dominant machinery.

            As for which titles were won in not dominant machinery2005 and 2006 comes to mind. 2007 was won in somewhat close competition as well. I am sure there must be more – I haven’t watched F1 that long.

            Indeed, you better keep the white flag high – HAM is himself on the record saying that he wouldn’t have those 5 titles if not for luck joining a dominant Merc. You going to deny this?

    2. Yea but you realise how privileged that silly kid is don’t you? You also realise he’s earn’t those privileges through hard work, talent, skills, bravery and dedication. And that’s the bit you really hate isn’t it?

      1. You are of course right – he probably works 9 to 9 every day of the week. But I doubt it. So should you. So he doesn’t work that hard. If anything a GP or a nurse works probably hundred times harder and her work can be life changing. It is all relative. And you know, the peculiar bit is that Ocon probably works more than him. Anyways, the point is – Every one of them on the grid work comparably hard. As for 5 titles. Had KMag and RoGro driven for merc since 2014 I doubt very much Ham would have more than two titles. In fact, he would still have one! He is driving a rocketship and as such he even has to work less than others. Stroll works harder!

    3. Fully agree. Lost sense of reality. He’s good, don’t get me wrong. But very lucky and priviliged as well (which is the difference between 3 or 5/6 titles)

      1. Of course the funny thing is, when Hamilton decided to move to Mercedes, most Formula 1 ‘experts’ were certain he was making a mistake. Very few saw it as a good move, yet alone a potentially brilliant one. So ‘luck’ is relative there too. Some courage, good judgement, and a knack for team building learned over the years. While McLaren ended up with their dream team of Button and Alonso.

  3. race tracks should be costly to drivers that make errors. drivers dnt need to be beached in gravel ( maybe they do) with their race over. but atleast slow them down to the point they lose like 40% ( more or less) of their performance in that moment.

  4. Great to see Stuart form Chain Bear F1 work with Autosport, his is one of the most interesting F1 channels on YouTube.

  5. Thanks for the Merceded ’99 link @hazelsouthwell

    I was listening to that chapter in Aussie Grit yesterday so was super interested to see that!

  6. I hope a full video of Gasly’s ride with Seb Ogier would be posted on YT or somewhere later. Onboard footage I mean.

  7. The most understated comment of all time:

    “Oh, Bernie wouldn’t do that to us!”

    oh no…no no no, but he will…and he did!

Comments are closed.