Top F1 drivers want to have a say in rule changes

The two quadruple world champions told reporters at the Spanish Grand Prix that those behind the wheel were often the last to know what was being planned by the technical people.

The sport’s governing body last week announced changes to the cars’ front and rear wings and front brake ducts for the 2019 season.

The modifications, to make it easier for drivers to follow and overtake, are expected to make cars a second and a half slower per lap.

“Is that a fact?” asked Ferrari’s Vettel when being asked about the changes at a post-qualifying news conference.

“That’s what they said, yeah, something like that,” said Hamilton, sitting alongside after securing pole position for Mercedes.

“Really?” replied the German, indicating it was news to him.

Hamilton, who leads the championship by four points over Vettel, felt slowing down the cars would not make racing any better and said drivers just wanted to go faster and push the limits.

“It’s incredible the technology we have and what we’re doing with it. We should be at least as fast as we are this year but just making racing better. In my personal opinion,” he said.

Vettel said drivers could offer useful insights, “I mean, we are drivers, not to say that we know everything — we don’t know anything about engineering the car — but we know how the cars feel, how to drive the cars and their limitations to overtake. But we’re not really asked.”

Hamilton agreed, “We should make the decisions.”

With regards to the slowing down of cars as proposed for next year, the two drivers with eight F1 world championships among them were also on the same page.

Hamilton pointed out, "We always want to go faster, improve the technology, push the boundaries and the limits. We should be at least as fast as we have been this year. At the moment, we are making the racing better."

Vettel added, "I find it comical. In 2009, the sport said: let's go with less aerodynamics and better racing, but it didn't change too much. Then the sport said the cars are too slow, so let's put more aerodynamic bits on the cars and make them wider and more spectacular."

"The feedback from all of the drivers was positive. It is now more challenging and you see us more exhausted after the race. Now we want to make them slower again? It is a bit like cruising to America, and changing direction 100 times."

"We should be asked what we need to overtake. We don't know anything about engineering the car but we know how it feels and the limitations to overtake, but we are never asked."

The press conference was hastily brought to an end by the Head of Communications for F1's governing body, the FIA, with Hamilton and Vettel continuing to express their angst as they walked away.

Meanwhile, in a separate interview, Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo agreed drivers should be consulted for input with regards to new rules, “I have no idea what they’ve changed. I actually heard something maybe yesterday that they’ve already agreed on some aerodynamic rules."

“I’m not trying to be funny but I genuinely have no idea what they’re doing or what they’ve changed or what they’ve decided. I think regardless, we shouldn’t have to ask: Oh, can you involve us."

"We should be involved because we’re the ones driving. We’re not engineers but at the end of the day we’re the ones that know what’s going on in a racing situation,” explained Ricciardo.