Hamilton: F1® trying to slow down Mercedes with rule change
Friday, 14 August 2020
The Briton addressed F1®'s planned engine change.
Lewis Hamilton claims Formula 1® is trying to slow down Mercedes amid plans to ban the use of high-power modes in qualifying, though the world champion is not concerned.
A ban on powerful engine settings used specifically for qualifying has been flagged, with the FIA warning teams it intends to clamp down on the mode from the next round of the championship – the Belgian Grand Prix.
As Hamilton, who has won three races this season to be 30 points clear in the drivers' championship, prepares for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix, the defending champion addressed the change.
"It's not a surprise, they are always trying to slow us down," Hamilton said. "But it doesn't really change a huge amount for us, so it's not a problem.
"At the end of the day the guys at our team have done such a great job with the engine.
"This is obviously to slow us down but I don't think they will get the result that they want. But that's totally fine if they do."
FIA secretary general Peter Bayer wants engines to run in a single mode throughout the race, removing the adjustability of power between practice and qualifying.
Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas added: "We are not panicking about it. The first thing that came to my mind was that in races every team has different modes how much they want to risk [the engine].
"If there was the same engine mode for everyone there could be less overtaking because everyone is just running same modes rather than playing with them and sometimes using more or less power."
