JULY 16, 2019

F1 selecting tracks for money not racing

F1's drivers should have more say about which circuits host the races.

F1's drivers should have more say about which circuits host the races.

That is the view of Lewis Hamilton, following earlier criticism about 'boring' grands prix in 2019.

But in Austria and again Silverstone, the races were thrilling -- and Hamilton says that is more to do with the actual tracks than the cars or the rules.

"We know better than anybody which tracks we can overtake on and which tracks we can't," the Mercedes driver said after Silverstone.

"I don't know who does the selection, but there are ones that they are selecting for the future that we're going to have not such great racing."

It is believed he is referring to Zandvoort, a legendary circuit that will be full of Dutchman to cheer on Max Verstappen next year.

But Hamilton thinks the actual race there will be like watching a "train".

"So, what would you prefer? Having a race in those countries just for the sake of having a race? Or do you want a great race like this?" he asked.

Valtteri Bottas agrees that the problem is that Liberty Media is not always prioritising the actual wheel-to-wheel racing when it is negotiating with F1 hosts.

"I'm sure that many of the track selections for the calendar is just purely for political reasons and money rather than actually focusing on whether it's good for racing or not," he said.

(GMM)