Hamilton says new front wing rule 'waste of money'

Lewis Hamilton says nan preamble of a caller norm clamping down connected beforehand helping elasticity astatine nan Spanish Grand Prix was "a discarded of money".

Governing assemblage nan FIA imposed a stiffer load trial connected beforehand wings to effort to limit nan magnitude teams could utilization their activity connected way for aerodynamic advantage.

But Hamilton said: "Just wasted everyone's money. It's virtually changed nothing.

"Everyone's wings still bend, it's conscionable half nan bending, and everyone's had to make caller wings and walk much money to make these. It conscionable doesn't make sense."

The Ferrari driver added that he "wasn't expecting" thing of nan alteration earlier coming to Spain.

"I drove it connected nan simulator, and it's beautiful overmuch precisely nan same, Hamilton said. "A small spot much oversteer successful nan precocious speed. Could person fixed it each to charity, you know?"

A caller beforehand helping successful F1 costs astir £100,000, successful summation to investigation and improvement resources.

The FIA delayed nan preamble of nan norm until this race, nan ninth of nan season, because it expected that nan immense mostly of teams would beryllium introducing caller beforehand wings successful Spain anyhow arsenic portion of their normal improvement programmes.

A spokesperson for nan FIA declined to remark specifically connected Hamilton's remarks.

The move is wide perceived wrong F1 to person travel aft unit from Red Bull connected nan FIA complete McLaren's usage of flexi-wings, which were being exploited by each nan apical teams and astir of nan others.

Red Bull person been raising questions pinch nan FIA successful caller months astir a number of aspects of nan McLaren car connected nan grounds of legality but nary rumor has been recovered pinch its creation and nary action has been taken.

McLaren squad main Andrea Stella said: "We ever thought that nan effect would person been comparatively negligible because erstwhile we saw nan numbers associated to this alteration of aero-elastic effect, they were mini numbers successful position of downforce and successful position of variety of downforce pinch speed.

"When we tested this helping successful Imola [two races ago], if we hadn't told Lando that it was a different wing, he wouldn't person spotted it, and erstwhile we simulated it, it was almost zero.

"So we were not expecting a alteration of nan pecking bid arsenic a usability of nan method directive that was released for this race.

"In position of wasting nan money aliases not, this is not a constituent of position that we really reflected on, because nan method directive has been location for a agelong time, truthful this was long-planned and we could find ratio arsenic good successful position of really you planned to present this modification."

Stella added that nan "economics" down nan norm changes "must person been somewhat inefficient", but he said: "I don't deliberation this is simply a awesome factor."

Flexible beforehand wings are employed by teams because they let them to summation straight-line velocity for nan aforesaid cornering performance, aliases amended cornering while not sacrificing velocity connected nan straights.

The thought is for nan flaps of nan beforehand helping to crook downwards nether load astatine speed, reducing drag, earlier moving backmost up to summation downforce for corners.

Under nan existent procreation of cars, teams person besides recovered that flexi-wings amended their equilibrium crossed a scope of cornering speeds.

The cars, which nutrient astir of their downforce from shared underbodies known arsenic venturis, are prone to oversteer (too small rear grip compared to front) successful high-speed corners, and low-speed understeer (not capable beforehand grip).

The flexi wings let teams to amended nan low-speed capacity while not making nan cars excessively tense successful precocious speed.

Hamilton, who starts 5th successful Barcelona, said his target was to "try and get to nan podium. I haven't been connected a podium for a agelong time".

His past podium was successful Las Vegas past November, erstwhile he was driving for Mercedes.

He referred to erstwhile team-mate George Russell taking nan lead from 4th connected nan grid successful Spain past year.

"Long measurement down to move one. We saw nan commencement George sewage past year," Hamilton said. "So, I will beryllium trying my champion to effort and get a bully start. And past otherwise, aft that, it's conscionable astir managing nan tyres here, which is challenging."

Piastri said he was wary astir "the agelong tally to move one, truthful I've sewage to make judge we effort and get a bully start".

He added: "It will beryllium an absorbing title still and it's not arsenic elemental arsenic return nan lead astatine nan commencement and cruise from there. It's going to beryllium a situation to negociate nan tyres, timing your stops right. There's going to beryllium a batch going on."

Verstappen said: "It's clip to radiance successful move one, yeah. Make it 3 [cars] wide for nan pictures. Why not?

"My agelong tally [in Friday practice] wasn't bad, but if you look astatine nan quality today, it will beryllium reliable to put up a really, really bully fight. But that doesn't mean that we're not going try.

"Like Oscar said, it's not each astir nan commencement and move one. You request to beryllium bully connected tyres. It's a agelong race. A batch tin happen. So, I'll conscionable effort to maximise what I got."