It seems like, somehow, FIA and Lewis Hamilton can never find a way to an agreement. For some reason or the other, the seven-time champion has always found himself in disagreement with the governing body. It started with Hamilton’s fight against racism. FIA has taken steps to curb the power of the protests of Lewis Hamilton and other drivers. There is a kind of a lack of freedom of speech for the drivers in Formula One.
Lewis Hamilton has always been very vocal about the racism that exists in F1 and even on what happens outside. But FIA President Muhammad Ben Sulayem has tried his best to keep these protests led by the seven-time champion in check. Now the governing body is doing something very specific to drivers that is a bit uncomfortable. Without the consent of the F1 drivers, FIA has introduced new rules about shortening DRS activation zones.
FIA Making Lives Of F1 Drivers More Difficult With New DRS Rule
According to FIA officials, they had the idea of changing DRS zones for a long time to make it more difficult for the drivers to overtake. Hence, it will be more attractive to the viewers. But the Mercedes drivers, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton, do not find any reason to justify this new rule. The McLaren driver, Lando Norris, suggested that it became impossible to overtake due to this new rule. Moreover, FIA introduced this rule ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The races in street circuits are anyway more difficult than in traditional circuits. Hence, the governing body made the lives of the drivers more challenging than ever.
Despite the complaints from drivers after the Grand Prix in Baku, FIA has declared that there will be more changes in DRS in the following race in Miami. The difference between Baku and Miami DRS changes is that there was one activation zone that was shortened by 100 meters. However, in Miami, FIA has shortened two zones by 75 meters each. Therefore it raises the concern that if overtaking gets difficult, then there will be a shortage of actions. This rule may cause problems with the promoters. Moreover, last year in Miami, there were only 45 overtakes. The promoters raised concerns and wanted more action in 2023.
Lewis Hamilton And George Russell Are Not Happy With The New Rule
Lewis Hamilton spoke about the change in DRS when he explained that there was far more action with the way the DRS zones were before. It just makes turning on DRS incredibly difficult now. Furthermore, overtaking down the straight made the races more exciting. But shortening them just does not make any sense.
George Russell of Mercedes explained that the whole thing is pretty unfair towards the drivers. FIA should have involved the drivers in the discussion. The F1 drivers could give inputs that would help everybody. It could have been beneficial for the organizers, drivers, and the governing body as well. However, drivers are not happy with the new DRS rule, and if it extends to far more races this season will just be too irritating for the drivers.