Published 18:04 IST, June 30th 2023
Austrian GP: Lewis Hamilton calls for significant F1 rule change, Max Verstappen refutes
Ahead of the Austrian GP 2023, Max Verstappen leads the F1 2023 Drivers' Championship with 195 points to his name, followed by Sergio Perez in second.
Max Verstappen heads into the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix 2023 this weekend with a 69-point lead over second-placed Sergio Perez in the F1 Drivers’ Championship standings. The Dutchman currently leads the table with 195 points to his credit, with the help of six wins and podiums in two other races. On the other hand, Red Bull racing also leads the F1 2023 Constructors Championship standings with 321 points.
Red Bull’s dominance has bettered in the last two seasons, ever since Verstappen defeated seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2021 to win the first of his two championships. While Red Bull won their first Constructors Championship in a decade in 2022, they seem to be in line to win both titles this year as well. The Austrian manufacturer’s dominance over other teams has become a massive talking point for the racing world.
Max Verstappen lashes out at Lewis Hamilton over F1 rule change suggestion
Heading into the Austrian GP 2023, Lewis Hamilton suggested F1 to make a massive rule change, which can reduce the gap among teams on the grid. The Mercedes driver told Sky F1:
Red Bull are already focusing on next year because they're so far ahead and don't need to change this year's car. So the FIA should set a time when everyone is allowed to start developing next year's car. Say August 1, so that no one can get an advantage, because that sucks.
On being questioned about his dominance with Mercedes over the last decade, the seven-time world champion pointed out the Brackley-based team never started developing their car for the next season as early as Red Bull. He went on to namedrop Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel in his comments and said:
We never started as early as them. It needs to change because what we have now is why you get dominance for so long, and they keep allowing it to happen. Ferrari were ahead and the same thing happened there, the same with Red Bull and Seb(Vettel) back in the day. They start earlier so they are always ahead.
"I was really fortunate to have one of those periods that Max is having"
Meanwhile, Hamilton later clarified his comments and said he was not throwing a jibe at Verstappen. As per Crash.net, the Mercedes driver said,
It’s not like aimed at any one particular person or anything. It’s just that obviously in my 17 years of being here… before even I got here, you would see periods of dominance.
Hamilton explained that he was fortunate enough to enjoy the success that Verstappen is currently seeing, but claimed Verstappen’s dominance will go on for years to come. The British driver said:
It continues to happen. I think as a sport, we do at some stage – I was really fortunate to have one of those periods that Max is having now but with the way it’s going, it will continue to happen over and over again.
Both drivers will be in action during the Austrian GP 2023 weekend, which begins with the practice session on Friday.
Updated 18:06 IST, June 30th 2023