Lewis Hamilton said F1 teams should be allowed more tyres Saturday after restrictions prompted some drivers to sit out final practice for the Chinese Grand Prix, meaning a raw deal for fans.
Shanghai: Lewis Hamilton said F1 teams should be allowed more tyres Saturday after restrictions prompted some drivers to sit out final practice for the Chinese Grand Prix, meaning a raw deal for fans.
Hamilton claimed a British-record 34th pole position and he did it without going out for a meaningful lap in final practice on Saturday morning as the rain teemed down in Shanghai.
With FIA regulations only allowing four sets of intermediate tyres and three of full wets for a race weekend, many teams opted to save them so they could have a fresh set for each of the three qualifying stints later.
That left fans who had paid RMB900-3,700 ($145-600) for a grandstand seat for the weekend looking at an empty track for much of free practice. Hamilton said maybe the rules should be changed.
"Yeah, I mean, we all had to save our tyres," he said in the post-qualifying press conference. "I don`t think it`s great for the fans that we don`t have a huge amount of tyres."
With a dry race forecast on Sunday, teams took the gamble of cashing all their wet weather tyres in qualifying on a track described by Hamilton`s team-mate Nico Rosberg as a "tyre killer" because of its extended spiralling bends taken under braking after high-speed straights.
Hamilton, second in the drivers` standings behind Rosberg after three races, thought the rules could be re-examined so drivers could at least "go out and run so they (fans) can see us driving".
"I`m sure people are tuning in and turning up to the track to watch us drive and we`re kind of a little bit restricted, obviously with the engine mileage and also with the tyres. "It would be cool if we had a little bit more tyre-life, then we would do some more running."
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.