Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton has slammed F1’s proposed car ‘revolution’ for 2017.<\/p>\n
Although the final vote has been delayed until late April, the sport’s decision-making bodies this week approved a draft for wider cars and tyres and the Mercedes-devised ‘halo’ cockpit protection.<\/p>\n
Red Bull’s Christian Horner admits he voted against it.<\/p>\n
“A couple of the teams were against the chassis regulations, including us, because I think it’s not radical enough,” he said.<\/p>\n
However, Horner also said he thinks any change is better than none.<\/p>\n
“The worst of all things would have been no change but it would be a great shame if that was not fully realised through this regulation change,” he said.<\/p>\n
Indeed, Williams technical boss Pat Symonds is alarmed that the precise rules still may not be known until almost May.<\/p>\n
“There were disagreements between the teams and with Pirelli, but I think now everyone is happy with the consensus.\u00a0 Yet it is still not embodied in the rules,” he said.<\/p>\n
“The delay will have a much stronger impact on the smaller teams,” said Symonds, “rather than a Mercedes or Ferrari.”<\/p>\n
Mercedes’ Hamilton, however, is alarmed for a very different reason, as he lashed out at the hidden detail that the cars for 2017 will be even heavier than they are now — an increase from 702 to 722kg.<\/p>\n
Part of the reason for that is that the ‘halo’ weighs 10 kilograms.<\/p>\n
“That is suitable for a tractor, not a formula one car,” one engineer is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.<\/p>\n
But Felipe Massa, who was seriously injured by debris in 2009, thinks the halo needs to come in.<\/p>\n
“I would prefer a beautiful solution but what is most important is that something is introduced,” he said.<\/p>\n
Hamilton, on the other hand, is alarmed that the 2017 cars will be so heavy.<\/p>\n
“I just realised that when I got to formula one I think the car was 600 kilos and now it’s 100 kilos heavier,” he said in Barcelona.<\/p>\n
“We don’t actually have to change the regulations much to go three seconds faster, just make the cars lighter,” he added.<\/p>\n
“They are just super-heavy.\u00a0 It is ridiculous if they are going to be even heavier,” said Hamilton.<\/p>\n
Former F1 driver turned broadcaster David Coulthard agrees, writing on Twitter that he hopes rumours the sport might speed up simply by scrapping the limits on fuel usage are true.<\/p>\n
“Removing max fuel capacity and allowing drivers to give 100pc seems great,” he wrote.<\/p>\n
“F1 for me is the pinnacle of racing technology but it should also be the fastest, (yet) each year the cars are getting heavier\/slower.”<\/p>\n
\u00a9 RIF | GMM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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