Lewis Hamilton in front of the FIA flag — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton hits out at costly FIA ruling at Spanish Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton is not happy with the new directive

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 1 June 2025 20:12

Lewis Hamilton has slammed a 'waste of money' new FIA rule, that has been implemented from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards.

New rules on so-called flexi-wings have been brought in by Formula 1's governing body, which limits flexibility in the front wing and flap on cars to 10mm, rather than the 15mm that had been in the regulations for the first part of the 2025 season.

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This mid-season change has been very controversial, with many of the sport's key figures suggesting it should've been in place since race one, rather than race nine.

Some teams were expected to be impacted more by the changes than others, with it being predicted by Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur that McLaren's dominance would not be as visible as in the early season.

However, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris blew the rest of the field away in qualifying for the Spanish GP, leading seven-time world champion Hamilton to suggest that the new rules had not changed anything.

"Just wasted everyone's money. It's literally changed nothing," Hamilton told media after qualifying for the race around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

"Everyone's wings still bend, it's just half the bending, and everyone's had to make new wings and spend more money to make these. It just doesn't make sense.

"I drove it on the simulator, and it's pretty much exactly the same. A little bit more oversteer in the high speed."

Will Ferrari recover from poor start?

Vasseur said that the new front wing changes would be a 'game changer', hinting that Ferrari and other teams would be closer to McLaren during race weekends, even if it didn't result in a closer championship battle.

Ferrari have only claimed two grands prix podiums across 2025 so far, with Hamilton's time with the Maranello-based outfit getting off to an underwhelming start.

A new front wing in F1 reportedly costs around £100,000 to build, in addition to research and development resources.

Hamilton is clear in his thinking about where the FIA could place their priorities instead of the new rule changes: "Could have given it all to charity, you know?", the seven-time champion concluded.

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton McLaren FIA Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix