Lewis Hamilton has shared his “dislike” for modern F1 precedents of having tarmac run-off at corners as opposed to punishing grass and gravel.
At a number of tracks which have joined the calendar over Hamilton’s career, grass and gravel run-off areas have been replaced by tarmac, with one instance being at the upcoming United States GP in Austin.
The track joined the calendar in 2012, and although Hamilton did spin out into the gravel in 2024, this only came at a high-speed loss of control at Turn 19 and trip across the tarmac run-off before finding the gravel at a distance away from the track.
Tarmac run-off areas allow drivers to easily recover if they make a minor mistake whereas gravel traps or grass can damage the car, and at venues which host multiple series, such as the Circuit of the Americas, changing the track limits to suit demands of each series can be expensive and time-consuming.
However, addressing the physicality of F1 across his career, Hamilton picked up on the issue of track limits.
“I mean my first year naturally because it was my first year in F1, and it was a killer to get your body to acclimatise,” Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365, when asked if races were more physically demanding earlier in his career.
“2020 was tough as well; I would say that is the period where the car was at its fastest and had the most downforce, so that was the physically most challenging.
“But there are a lot of changes which have come over time, like all of these run-off areas, which I dislike personally.
“I miss the older days when it was a little bit more risk-averse in terms of the run-off areas, not so many run-off areas and more grass and gravel.
“But obviously that’s not the way it is today.”
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