Hamilton believes the action at the Russian Grand Prix could be improved if Formula 1 made one change, race in the opposite direction.
While the Briton has won three of the first five races in Sochi with his Mercedes teammate taking the other two, he admits the racing action around the Olympic Park hasn’t been the best.
This year it was a little better thanks to a longer DRS zone to Turn 2 but it is the layout which Hamilton believes isn’t conducive to racing but could be.
“On a single lap, when you’re on your own it’s cool, but it’s not very good at all for racing,” he told Autosport.
“You’ve got the really long straight but the characteristics of the circuit mean the first two sectors are quite fast. In the last sector, the rear tyres are so hot, it’s impossible to follow another car, so you can’t even get close to have a run.”
The championship leader revealed the performance difference needed to attempt an overtake is 1.4 seconds, claiming that delta was less at most other circuits, however…
“I was saying in the changing room, they should do it in reverse, go backwards, so you have the slow section first and then the fast sections,” he continued.
“I don’t know if it’ll make a difference but otherwise, they’ve got to change the track to make it more racing-like.”
The task of changing a circuit to run in another direction is surprisingly more complex than many would think with the kerbs, run-offs, barriers and location of marshal posts all things that need to be considered.
It is not impossible, however, as proven by the redevelopment of Misano in 2006 but given the confines of the Olympic Park in Sochi, it is unlikely the idea is feasible.
Changes have been hinted at to the layout, however, so it will be interesting to see what happens between now and 2019.
