F1 needs to “adapt” rules before 2026 to close gap between teams

Lewis Hamilton says he understands why some fans are disappointed by the state of competition in Formula 1 this year and said the series may have to rethink its rules earlier than planned.

F1 is in its second season since revised technical regulations were introduced with the goal of improving the quality of racing and bringing the field closer together. However Red Bull are routing the competition at the moment, winning every race so far this year and 14 of the last 15 grands prix.

Asked whether he was concerned Red Bull’s dominance would prove a turn-off for the American market Formula 1 is eager to court with its first of three US rounds this weekend, Hamilton said: “It’s not my job to convince people to watch a sport.

“I mean, I’m not watching it. It’s not boring for me. I’m challenged every single day trying to get back to the front. So it’s definitely not boring from my perspective.

“But, as a racing fan watching, I can understand because it’s not as much competition as they’re perhaps used to with the NFL and the NBA at the moment. That’s not my doing.”

F1 “needs to do better, I think, as a sport” said Hamilton. “They have already tried to bring the teams closer but it never seems to work. So all I can say is that we’re working as hard as we can to close up and get back to give them some more excitement.”

Hamilton believes F1 did the right thing by overhauling its car design last year, but believes further changes are needed before its next planned overhaul of the rule book in 2026.

“I think it’s good that we’re trying new things. I think it’s important that we continue to move forward and evolve. The technology has evolved.

“It is just unfortunate we still see the same sort of gaps between teams. I don’t know what the solution is for the future, but I think we’re going to have to continue to adapt these regulations moving forwards otherwise it could be the same as it is now for years, until 2026. If we don’t do a better job, which we’re working on doing.”

However Hamilton said he is enjoying the current generation of cars now that Mercedes has addressed the ‘porpoising’ problem they suffered with throughout last season.

“I like the cars without the bouncing. They’re a little bit heavy, I wouldn’t say making the cars heavy is a good idea. That’s about it.”