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- Lewis Hamilton says current Formula 1 races are \u201cphysically easier than ever\u201d and believes grands prix should be longer rather than shorter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The lighter, lower-downforce 2026 cars produce less sustained physical strain, but require extensive energy management and steering-wheel adjustments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Max Verstappen, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda suggest the new challenge is increasingly technical and mental rather than purely physical.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Lewis Hamilton\u2019s opposition to shorter Formula 1 races goes beyond spectacle. The Ferrari driver believes the current generation of cars no longer tests competitors physically enough to justify reducing standard grand prix distances from 305km to approximately 290km in 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking during a media session attended by GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> in Baku, Hamilton argued that F1 should move in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think the races should be longer because the races are physically easier than ever before,\u201d Hamilton said. \u201cShortening them doesn\u2019t make much sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The seven-time world champion also pointed towards the durability of the current tyres. With compounds regularly capable of completing long stints, drivers often face one-stop races without the repeated flat-out phases or strategic variation that can intensify the physical workload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere have been many races where I wished we had more laps,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s the opposite of what I would be asking for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton\u2019s assessment is supported by the basic characteristics of the 2026 cars. They are smaller and lighter than their predecessors, while producing less downforce. That reduces some of the sustained lateral load experienced through high-speed corners and makes the cars less punishing on the neck and upper body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, describing the cars as physically easier does not necessarily mean they are easier to race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"F1](\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/f1-2026-espanha-corrida-ferrari-lewis-hamilton-02-1024x576.jpg\")
Hamilton says F1 races are physically easier\u2014but the cars are more complex (Photo: F1)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n F1\u2019s difficulty has moved from the body to the brain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The defining complication of the 2026 regulations is energy management. The new power units obtain a much larger proportion of their output from electrical energy, forcing drivers to monitor harvesting, deployment and overtaking modes while still controlling the car at high speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Active aerodynamics add another layer. Drivers must manage different configurations for corners and straights, while adapting braking and throttle application to ensure sufficient energy remains available at decisive moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton previously compared the amount of information required to operate the new systems to needing \u201ca degree\u201d. Although software refinements have made the process less intrusive since pre-season testing, energy deployment remains central to lap time and racecraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Max Verstappen has repeatedly questioned whether that represents the correct type of challenge. The Red Bull driver believes the current cars provide less precise feedback and require drivers to modify their technique around energy recovery rather than simply pursuing the fastest natural line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verstappen also used the rapid adaptation of Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson to different cars as evidence that the machinery has become more forgiving. However, Lawson disputed the suggestion that switching teams and immediately approaching the limit had become straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That disagreement exposes the central distinction. A car can be less physically punishing and more forgiving at the limit while simultaneously becoming more complicated to operate effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The performances of Tsunoda and Lawson prompted Verstappen to question the challenge created by the 2026 cars<\/a>, but the additional mental workload remains significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drivers have more margin\u2014but less freedom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Lower downforce gives drivers more time to recognise and correct slides. Tsunoda has described the current cars as more controllable, with mistakes developing less abruptly than under the previous ground-effect rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The compromise is that drivers have less freedom to attack a lap exclusively through instinct. Braking points, throttle application and even cornering speed can be influenced by the need to recover electrical energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
George Russell has argued that the regulations have consequently changed how driver performance should be measured. Outright speed remains essential, but the ability to understand and execute increasingly complex technical instructions has assumed greater importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russell\u2019s view that the 2026 cars have altered F1\u2019s driver hierarchy<\/a> helps explain why Hamilton\u2019s comment is only one part of the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
F1 may demand less muscular endurance than previous generations, but drivers must process more information while travelling at more than 300km\/h. The difficulty has not disappeared. It has changed form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shorter races would remove the wrong challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The decision to reduce race distances in 2027 is primarily connected to fuel requirements rather than driver fitness. Increasing combustion-engine output while retaining the current fuel-tank architecture created the need for a compromise, leading the F1 Commission to approve a standard distance of approximately 290km.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That will remove around two to four laps from most grands prix. Formula 1 has also removed its three-hour race limit and abandoned gearbox homologation for 2027<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton\u2019s criticism nevertheless raises a legitimate sporting question. If tyre durability and reduced physical strain have already made races less demanding, shortening them addresses a technical restriction by weakening one of the few remaining endurance elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The present cars may be easier on the body, but they are not simple. Modern Formula 1 increasingly tests concentration, preparation and systems management. Hamilton wants the sport to preserve race distance so that physical endurance remains part of that equation as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n