Lewis Hamilton reignites rivalry with Max Verstappen as he suggests radical rule change to stop runaway F1 leader
LEWIS HAMILTON has suggested a radical rule change to Formula One in order to close the gap to runaway championship leader Max Verstappen.
Two-time world champion Verstappen has won six out of eight races this season, with only Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez able to claim race wins over him this season.
The dominance of Red Bull since the return of ground effect car designs has been plain to see, but Hamilton has lobbied for a radical change to level the playing field.
Speaking ahead of the weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix – Red Bull’s home race – Hamilton suggested selecting a set date to allow teams to work on next season’s car development.
He said: “Red Bull are already focusing on next year because they’re so far ahead and don’t need to change this year’s car.
“So the FIA should set a time when everyone is allowed to start developing next year’s car.
“Say August 1, so that no one can get an advantage, because that sucks.”
When Hamilton was quizzed about his own era of domination at Mercedes, which saw him win six world titles from seven, he replied: “We never started as early as them.
“It needs to change because what we have now is why you get dominance for so long, and they keep allowing it to happen.
“Ferrari were ahead and the same thing happened there, the same with Red Bull and Seb (Vettel) back in the day.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST ONLINE CASINOS FOR 2023
“They start earlier so they are always ahead.”
However, Verstappen – who is well on his way to a third title in a row – hit back at the suggestion.
The 25-year-old shot back by saying: “We were not talking about this when he was winning his championships, right, so I don’t think we should now.
“That is how Formula One works. When you have a competitive car it is great, but at some point you have to look ahead to the following year.
“A lot of things in life are unfair. You just have to deal with it.”
Hamilton, 38, recently made a shock appearance in a Stormzy music video.
Complete F1 2023 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix this year