Lewis Hamilton has criticised today’s Formula 1 cars as too easy to drive.
When the current designs were introduced in 2017, many pointed to the increase in cornering speeds as generating a much tougher challenge for drivers due to the higher forces.
However, when asked about drug testing in F1, Hamilton admits there isn’t enough of a physical challenge for drivers to even consider needing any kind of boost.
“There used to be a point where there was quite a bit of [drug] testing away from the track, back home or in hotels, that sort of thing, but honestly, this is not a sport where you need to do anything,” he was quoted by PlanetF1.
“It is not like in cycling where you need more blood flowing through the heart or more oxygen. We are not fatiguing. In all honesty, the cars are not hard enough to drive.
“It should be more physical. I think in 2021, they maybe need to get rid of power steering, for example, because we should be massively depleted afterwards. That’s how sport should be.”
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Proving how easy today’s cars are, last week when F2 driver Nikita Mazepin stepped in the Mercedes and was only 0.2s slower than Valtteri Bottas during a test in Barcelona on his first day.
And while that might be a testament to the fitness of drivers, Hamilton looked at other sports where such performances are very unlikely.
“Tennis players are finished at the end of a game, especially if they’ve been on (court for) four hours,” he noted.
“Cyclists, they must be dead after the Tour de France, for example. I feel that’s what’s this should be about.
“But it’s less so about that physical side these days, that’s why we see an 18-year-old can come in, no problems. That should not be the case.”
