Motorsport: Go back to old-school F1 racing, says Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton. Photo / AP

Reigning champion Lewis Hamilton believes returning to an old-school style of racing would solve Formula One's ongoing problem with parity.

The four-time world champion and leader in the standings said yesterday the vast separation between the top teams and lower teams was hurting the sport. Mercedes have won all six races this season and will look to make it seven in a row at the Canadian Grand Prix on Monday.

"People do continue to comment that it's boring," Hamilton said of the inequality between teams. "Ferrari wins for a period of time, McLaren wins for a period of time, Mercedes, Red Bull. How you stop that?

"If I had a choice, I would go back to V12, naturally-aspirated engines, manual gear boxes. I would make it harder for the drivers. Take away all these big runoff areas that you have everywhere. You should not have steering assist. Or if you have steering assist, you have to keep it low. I like having it low so it's harder for me."

"You should be so physically exhausted after a race," he added. "It should be so exhausting, like a marathon. I could probably do two or three races in a row, and Formula One should not be like that."

A win on Monday for Hamilton would tie Michael Schumacher's record for most victories at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with seven.

The 34-year-old has already won four races this year. Teammate Valterri Bottas won the other two. Mercedes leads the constructors' standings with 257 points, nearly twice as many as second-placed Ferrari, who have 139.

Only six drivers from three teams have finished in the top five this season: Mercedes' Hamilton and Bottas, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly.

The disparity between teams goes well beyond this year. Mercedes has won the last five F1 championships, while Red Bull won the previous four.

Ahead of his home town race, Montreal native Lance Stroll, 20, echoed Hamilton's sentiments.

"Look at the NHL, the NFL, the NBA, the teams are so close," Stroll said. "That's because it's capped properly, it's managed properly. That allows for exciting competitions. It would be great to see the same thing in Formula One.

"Instead of two seconds between the field, it comes down to tenths. That would really spice things up."

- AP