- Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton admitted that Formula One is broken and lacks direction.
- Hamilton isn’t happy about the cockpit safety system, known as the ‘Halo’.
- Raikkonen used Halo on his installation lap on the third day of the second pre-season test in Barcelona.
Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton blasted Formula One as broken and lacking in direction as the sport’s bosses debate a range of changes to regulations.
The Mercedes star believes that tinkering with the qualifying format, which has caused splits in the paddock and among fans as the world championship tries to boost its appeal, is detrimental to the sport.
The autosport.com website and BBC reported that when asked if Formula One is “broken, lacking direction, or in rude health?”, Hamilton replied, “I would probably say the first two you suggested.”
The Briton, speaking on the penultimate day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, also took aim at the new cockpit safety system, known as the “Halo”.
The three-pointed carbon structure is placed at the front of the car and is intended to prevent more driver fatalities.
The Halo was tried on track by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen on Thursday.
Demands to increase driver safety have intensified following the deaths of Jules Bianchi and IndyCar driver Justin Wilson last year.
Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, Nico Rosberg hailed the device as a “massive safety improvement”.
However, the father of former F1 driver Bianchi, who died after colliding with a recovery vehicle at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2014, claimed the new measures don’t go far enough.
This is a step forward, but it does not solve everything. In the case of Jules it would not have changed since it was the extremely violent deceleration that we know caused the damage to his brain. The version of this Halo system I saw this morning did not convince me and still needs to be improved.Philippe Bianchi told Canal Plus
Raikkonen used the structure on his installation lap on the third day of the second pre-season test in Barcelona before going on to set the fastest time of the winter once it was removed.
The Halo won’t be used for the upcoming season which starts at the Australian Grand Prix on March 20, but a meeting of the F1 Commission last week approved measures aimed at introducing it for the 2017 season.
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