Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton hit out at ‘broken Formula One’ as qualifying rules remain in limbo
Two world champions portray the sport as ‘broken’ and burdened with over-complicated rules and a lack of direction
Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, two drivers with five world titles between them, portrayed Formula One on Thursday as a ‘broken’ sport burdened with over-complicated rules and uncertain where it was heading.
It was fine, it was okay. Why confuse people more
Hamilton, who can win a third successive title with Mercedes this season and the fourth of his career, was asked during preseason testing whether he felt the sport was broken, lacking direction or healthy.
“I would probably say the first two,” he told a news conference. “I don’t want to say too much about it, but I do agree with the first two.”
With the opening race of the 2016 championship in Australia little more than two weeks away, the sport has yet to decide what format qualifying will be this season and when any new version might be introduced.
Team managers then agreed a further change, with a knock-out system for the first two phases but reverting to the old format for the last one. That has yet to be accepted by the governing FIA, however.
“It was fine, it was okay. Why confuse people more,” Hamilton said of the proposed qualifying switch to an elimination format.