LE CASTELLET, France — Lewis Hamilton can understand why people think his dominance of Formula One is boring, but he says it is wrong to blame him or any other driver for the on-track product.
Hamilton looks like he is cruising to a sixth world championship, having opened up a 36-point lead after just eight of the 21 races this year. The French Grand Prix was a drab affair, with Hamilton cruising to a victory ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas as Ferrari and Max Verstappen battled over the final podium position for most of the race.
Speaking to journalists after the race, Hamilton said: “When you write the story and you say ‘it’s boring’… if you do, I totally understand it, I remember growing up watching it … [but] don’t point the fingers at the drivers because we don’t write the rules, we don’t have anything to do with the money shift and all that kind of stuff. We should put the pressure on people that are at the head.
“This is a constant cycle of Formula One, for years and years and years even before I got here, it’s because of the way Bernie [Ecclestone] had it set up and the decisions that were made then are still the same. Until that management structure changes it will continue to be the same, in my opinion, and that’s not my job to do that, it’s my job to do the best I can as a driver.”
Last week, Hamilton attended a meeting in Paris between F1 teams and the FIA aimed at settling on a set of regulations for the 2021 season and beyond. The publication of those rules has now been delayed until October.
“I think they are trying to, but for many, many years they’ve made bad decisions. Do I have confidence it’s going to shift massively? I have faith it’s going to get better, to the point that I went to Paris last week to get involved. I was in that meeting watching all the bosses of F1 and the FIA and all the Formula One teams and trying to get involved.
“I have nothing to gain by it, I’ve been there, but if there’s anything I can do to help. But they’re making all these decisions but never once had a driver’s input in that room, so if that can be the decisive point that helps shift it so the fans can get better racing, I’d be proud to be a part of that.”
Hamilton has sounded apologetic at times during this dominant streak of F1 and often speaks of his desire to have other drivers and teams join the fight with Mercedes.
When asked why he never showboats when he is so far ahead like footballers do when they score a goal, he replied: “I don’t think I’ve ever been one for showboating. I think with the world that we live in today, you lose either way you do it.
“People will have an opinion what you do one way or the other. I prefer to just keep my head down and keep chipping away at things. I really enjoyed the last race and races like that, I’ve never made any secret of that. That’s the races that people enjoy most, and of course races like these [today] are not the ones people enjoy most. But I think it’s really important for people to realise it’s not the driver’s fault.