{"id":577464,"date":"2026-04-01T01:15:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T01:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/577464\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T01:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T01:15:11","slug":"f1-news-lewis-hamilton-delivers-daming-regulations-assessment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/577464\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 news: Lewis Hamilton delivers daming regulations assessment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Hamilton
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLewis Hamilton doubts the drivers will be listened to in upcoming rule change talks by F1 & the FIA. Image: XPB Images<\/p>\n

The FIA and Formula 1 are set to review the new regulations in April following mounting criticism, but Hamilton is not expecting the meeting to produce significant changes despite growing safety and racing concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not expecting much from it,\u201d Hamilton said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I know I hope they make some big changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The seven-time world champion\u2019s scepticism centres on what he sees as a lack of driver representation in the decision-making process, particularly as debate intensifies around energy management and its impact on racing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe drivers don\u2019t have a say,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have no power. We\u2019re not on the committee; we have no voting rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamilton suggested the structure of the discussions themselves could limit progress, hinting at competing interests among stakeholders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019ll be a lot of chefs in the kitchen. It doesn\u2019t usually end up with a good result,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The review comes amid increasing unease over the racing product<\/a>, with drivers pointing to lift-and-coast phases in qualifying and fluctuating battery deployment in races that have led to inconsistent performance and so-called \u201cfake\u201d overtaking.<\/p>\n

Concerns escalated at the Japanese Grand Prix when Oliver Bearman crashed trying to avoid Franco Colapinto\u2019s slowing Alpine approaching the Spoon corner.<\/p>\n

The incident, triggered by differences in energy deployment, highlighted the risks created by speed differentials that can exceed 50km\/h.<\/p>\n

While Bearman avoided serious injury, the crash intensified scrutiny on the regulations and prompted the FIA to fast-track discussions with teams and stakeholders.<\/p>\n

Hamilton acknowledged performance variability remains a factor in the current competitive picture, pointing to uncertainty around engine characteristics.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, only on some performance, we\u2019re hugely down to the Mercedes engine, and what that is, we don\u2019t know whether it\u2019s just that they have a bigger turbo or just more crank power or something else. We\u2019ll find out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to try to figure it out, work harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other drivers share Hamilton\u2019s concerns that the process may overlook those behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

Grand Prix Drivers\u2019 Association director Carlos Sainz has been particularly vocal, warning that team perspectives risk overshadowing driver feedback.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the problem when you listen only to the teams, that they will think the racing is OK because maybe they\u2019re having fun watching it on the TV,\u201d Sainz said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut from a driver standpoint, when you are racing each other, and you realise that there can be 50km\/h speed delta, that\u2019s actually not racing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the FIA confirming that adjustable elements within the regulations \u2014 particularly energy management \u2014 are under review, drivers remain cautious about what the April meeting will deliver.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really hope they listen to us, and they focus on the feedback we\u2019ve given them, rather than only listening to the teams,\u201d Sainz added.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I hope] they come up with a plan for Miami that improves the situation, and a plan also for the medium-term future of these regulations to keep improving it.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you cannot improve everything for Miami, do another good step in Miami and then a big step for, I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s next year or later in the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Miami Grand Prix takes place May 1\u20133.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lewis Hamilton doubts the drivers will be listened to in upcoming rule change talks by F1 & the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":577465,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,813,816,107978,823,9910,85],"class_list":["post-577464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-japanese-gp","tag-lewis-hamilton","tag-slot2","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/577465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}