Hamilton Proposes Shift to Boost F1 Team Parity

Hamilton calls for a fresh strategy to speed up F1 performance equality, voicing worries about the 2026 season.

Lewis Hamilton believes Formula 1 must find a way to make it easier for teams to catch up when they fall behind due to regulatory changes. Despite the presence of the ATR, development handicaps, and budget caps, the Mercedes F1 driver laments the challenges of making up for lost time.

“If we look at the past, we could say that there’s a long period of domination that you want to break to trigger a change,” Hamilton stated. “I think we are finally in an exciting period this season where the top five are particularly close.”

“And that’s what we want to see from the start. And obviously, in 2026, it all starts over. Then, those who don’t meet the targets and don’t perform as well as others just have to make up for lost time. So, perhaps we need to consider another solution to level the playing field and move more quickly to this phase.”

Hamilton praises the ATR but questions a more significant solution: “Clearly, the teams at the back have more time to spend in the wind tunnel. I don’t know what the solution is, but is there a way to help the trailing teams stabilize sooner?”

“It’s not about the end of a design era, for example. But I think it will be really interesting. If 2026 does exactly what these phases have always done, then we will probably need to review the situation and consider something else.”