I’LL STAY ON TO DRIVE A BATMOBILE
Hamilton thrilled by Brawn’s new cars
LEWIS Hamilton took a look at Formula One’s futuristic new cars and immediately committed himself to staying in the sport beyond 2020.
The 33-year-old was smitten by the ‘Batmobile’ concept, due to be on the grid from 2021, describing it as ‘dope’ — as in fabulously good.
He added: ‘I’m definitely going to be driving if the cars look like this.’
Such was Hamilton’s gushing verdict that, if he carries through on his promise to race into his late 30s, the Brit could conceivably relegate Michael Schumacher into second place in the record books. Hamilton has 68 wins against the German’s 91, and four titles as opposed to seven, though more poles already.
The new machine, unveiled ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, is intended to appeal to the next generation of fans. Its features are simpler, the front and rear wings more macho and the wheels increased by five inches to 18in. ‘Race-ability’ was the key consideration in the design — meaning the cars should be able to fight closely on track. Aesthetics was the second significant factor in the design.
Formula One sporting boss Ross Brawn said: ‘ The primary thing we’re doing is trying to reduce the amount of performance lost to a following car.
‘With the current cars, when they get to within two to three car lengths, they can lose 50 per cent of performance, the tyres degrade more and it becomes very challenging. At the moment we have these new designs that only lose 20 per cent and maintain 80 per cent. We want cars that children want to stick on their walls. It frustrates me when cars on video games look more exciting than in Formula One.’ Former Ferrari technical guru Brawn, 63, was forced to deliver his presentation pronto after an image of the car was leaked from a lecture he gave to aspiring young engineers earlier in the week. It meant Liberty’s biggest policy decision since buying the sport for £6billion in January last year did not have the full trumpet accompaniment it might have done. And the designs embarrassingly carried the old F1 logo.
Applause for Brawn’s blueprint was not universal. Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene said: ‘My engineers thought it was a bit underwhelming and like an old Champ car.’
Brawn revealed that he had spoken to drivers including Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg to canvass their thoughts on the new project. He has developed his plans with input from governing body FIA, Indy Car in America and the teams, who have run models in their factories.
A big next step is to draw up regulations that ensure teams have to stick to the fundamentals of the prototype car rather than freelance too many important aspects.
He knows all about that from the double- diffuser he put on Jenson Button’s titlewinning car in 2009.
The drivers will not step into the new machines until 2021. By then, Hamilton’s two-year deal with Mercedes will have expired, leaving him a free agent. More immediately, Hamilton carries a 30-point lead over Sebastian Vettel into the Singapore race under lights tomorrow.
Hamilton (left) was a fairly encouraging 0.011sec slower than the pace-setting Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen in practice despite this being a track on which Mercedes have struggled in recent years.
Vettel’s preparations were interrupted when he banged the right side of his car into the wall and managed only a dozen laps in the second session. His recently announced team- mate of next year, Sauber’s Charles Leclerc, hit the barrier at the Cricket Club Chicane earlier in the day.