Barcelona, Spain – Lewis Hamilton labeled the repression of the wings before flexion of Formula 1 “a waste of money” after seeing the advantage of McLaren remain intact in front.
Speculations entering the Spanish Grand Prix were that a new directive of the governing FIA around flexion is authorized on the front wing would drop or eradicate the space of McLaren to the others.
The teams actually worked on another front wing to introduce in accordance with the new Barcelona race rule.
No recovery has materialized – Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris duly locked the first row, having seemed untouchable throughout the qualifications.
“What a waste of money”, Ri Hamilton after the session. “It’s just wasted everyone’s money.”
“He has literally changed anything. The wings of each one always bend, it is only half of the bending; and everyone had to make new wings and spend more money to make them. It does not make sense.”
He added later: “We should give it to charity.”
Hamilton had predicted before the weekend that the change would be minimal, having not seen little to be passionate in terms of time saving the Ferrari simulator.
The seven times world champion has qualified fifth, half a second of the Piastri pole.
Ferrari’s driver rejected the idea that anyone will catch McLaren in the near future.
When he was asked if he had agreed that McLaren was “almost untouchable” in front, he said: “Yeah, yes. It was an incredible job they did. [To] Me, it’s half a second, but for guys in front, it’s three tenths.
“It is not an insurmountable quantity that you could catch up with, but, for example, a lot of work, for months, went to develop and obtaining a tenth of performance. We do not have half a second to come, that’s for sure, what I need to overthrow them.”
Hamilton’s performance was only the second time this year that he exceeded the Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc, who will start seventh.
