Lewis Hamilton says computers have taken over F1: 'It's really annoying'

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton says computers have taken over F1: 'It's really annoying'

The machines! The machines are coming!

By Remy Ramjiawan.

Monday 13 July 2026 12:35

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According to Lewis Hamilton, today's F1 drivers aren’t being rewarded for raw speed. Instead, they’re hindered by increasingly complex energy management systems.

The seven-time world champion expressed his frustration with the overwhelming role of software in modern F1 cars during a chat with Neil deGrasse Tyson on the StarTalk podcast.

Technical regulations have taken a dramatic turn this season. With the removal of the MGU-H from power units, managing energy has become even more critical. Drivers must now carefully balance battery charging and usage, with 'yo-yo' overtakes and re-overtakes becoming more common.

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Despite these complications, Hamilton currently sits third in the championship with 147 points, trailing title leader Kimi Antonelli and his Mercedes teammate George Russell.

Penalized for speed

Hamilton points out that the current setup is confusing for everyone – not just the fans but the drivers as well. "It’s really hard for fans to fully understand, and it's hard for us to understand it. The ultimate goal when you're driving an F1 car is to push the car to the limit," he explained.

"The faster you take a corner, hopefully you should be up on your time compared to others. Right now with what we have, because we have a limited amount of battery, we're constantly...when you're off power you're charging the battery, when you're on power you're using the battery."

He also noted that the removal of the MGU-H sometimes punishes bold driving, saying: "We have less charge this year, because they took away the MGU-H. Basically if you take the high speed (sections) fast and you're more committed, you take more risk and you go faster through a corner, you get penalised afterwards because you don't charge enough."

Hamilton: I wasn't slow, the software wasn't working

Hamilton also highlighted moments when technology – not the driver – makes the crucial difference. "Yesterday I was losing three tenths of a second just because the software wasn't doing its job.

"I didn't know till I came back to my engineers, and I was like 'I'm sorry, I'm slow' to my engineers I sit with, and they were like 'you're not slow, the software wasn't working'. So that's a real frustration, because back in the day they didn't have that."

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