Lewis Hamilton says F1 should be a 'man's sport' with eye on 2021

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton says F1 should be a 'man's sport' with eye on 2021

The champion has a plan to fix the sport.

Matthew Scott

Thursday 6 June 2019 18:13

Formula 1 is a "man's sport" and should be a greater physical challenge for new drivers, according to Lewis Hamilton, who believes making the sport more difficult to access may help improve the spectacle on the grid, as well as other key changes.

The future of F1 is in sharp focus with Liberty Media and the teams currently trying to nail down a new set of regulations for the 2021 season and beyond.

Closer racing is a key component of the new governance, as well as budget caps and simpler engines, which it is hoped will bring the field closer together in an attempt to ed the recent breakaway of the richest teams: Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.

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Asked how he would change the sport for good ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Hamilton gave an impassioned take on what could be altered for the better.

He said: "The fans are the reason we're able to continue to do what we do and I see, while there's a lot of people here, there's some races with not a big attendance.

"The promotion is not always the best in some places and people do continue to comment that it's boring because you still have a period of time where Ferrari win for a period of time, McLaren for a period, Mercedes, Red Bull… how you stop that that is definitely a part of the regulations."

Sat at the press conference table in Montreal with Lando Norris and Lance Stroll, F1's two youngest drivers, Hamilton suggested their route to the top could have been made trickier.

"If I had a choice, I would go back to V12, naturally aspirated engines," he added. "I would have a manual gearbox. I'd make it harder for the drivers, take away all these big run-off areas you have everywhere.

"You should be physically exhausted after a race. To the point it should be so exhausting like a marathon. Sometimes you do these races and you can get up - I could do two or three races in a row and Formula 1 shouldn't be like that.

"It's a man's sport and a lot of youngsters come in and it's quite easy for them to get straight into it."