Hamilton wants F1 to be "creative" with double-headers
Lewis Hamilton has called on Formula 1 to be more "creative" with its weekend format when hosting multiple races at the same circuit through the 2020 season.
F1 held back-to-back grands prix at the same track for the first time in its history this month with two straight race weekends at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
The move came as part of the plan to bolster the 2020 calendar after the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the opening 10 races being called off, and will be repeated next month with two races at Silverstone.
Holding multiple races in Bahrain towards the end of the year is also under consideration.
F1 had looked to shake up the format for the second event in Austria and Great Britain by staging a reverse grid qualifying race, only for Mercedes to block the plans.
While only one driver finished the second Austria race in the same position as the first one - Sergio Perez in sixth - Hamilton said he would like to see more variation between the events held at the same track.
“I definitely think we should be trying to be more creative maybe, but I don’t know what that is,” Hamilton said.
“I don’t have the answers for it, but just shifting a tyre is not going to make any difference, literally no difference really for us.
“It’s a question of format. If you’re going to do back-to-back, it’s a shame we can’t reverse the circuit and go the other way, but obviously that was never in the game plan when designing these circuits.”
Bahrain oval track
Photo by: Uncredited
The second race at Silverstone on August 9 will see Pirelli offer a softer selection in tyre compounds in a bid to offer some variation.
The idea of changing the circuit layout has also been mooted for Bahrain, where an oval-style configuration could be used if multiple events are held at the Sakhir track.
But Hamilton said he was pleased not to have seen the reverse grid proposal go through, saying it would be “mayhem”.
“If we qualified at the front, and then you put us last it would be a bit of a difficult one,” Hamilton said.
“I wonder if there are other series that are doing anything different that we could look into.
“We have these two races in Silverstone and we could definitely do something to spice it up, particularly for the second one I think.”
Mercedes braced for Red Bull fightback in Hungary
Why Aston Martin is no longer a gamble for Vettel
Amid ChatGPT buzz, is AI ready to take over Formula 1 strategy?
The viral success of ChatGPT since its launch has lifted interest surrounding Artificial Intelligence to new heights.
Team 18's coin toss chassis allocation
Supercars squad Team 18 used a combination of a coin toss and a ping pong ball lottery to allocate its new chassis to drivers Scott Pye and Mark Winterbottom.
BRT not fazed by Ford aero questions
Blanchard Racing Team isn't fazed about the unresolved Ford aero package ahead of its maiden Gen3 Supercars test at Winton tomorrow.
Australian GP releases more race day tickets
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation has announced a final limited release of race day tickets.
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Nico Hulkenberg: Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.