Lewis Hamilton has criticised the 'Alternative Tyre Allocation' trial introduced by F1 and Pirelli at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver used a single set of Medium tyres across second practice, failing to set a qualifying simulation time as he finished 16th fastest at the Hungaroring. The ATA this weekend is the first of two trials that aims to help sustainability in the sport, with only 11 tyre sets allocated per car rather than 13. Hard tyres are mandated for Q1, Mediums for Q2 and Softs for Q3 in qualifying - an obligation that led to a number of different run plans across second practice. Asked why Mercedes had opted for its specific plan, Hamilton replied: "We only had one tyre to use in that session. "Not really a great format, this change they made for this weekend. It just means we get less running. "Not ideal. There are a lot of wet tyres that they throw away at the end of every weekend rather than trying to take time on track away from the fans."
Car at its worst
Hamilton's run was blighted by a lack of grip, with a number of radio calls underlining his issues with the W14. The seven-time champion is hopeful of a turnaround before qualifying as Mercedes aims to reestablish its position as best of the rest behind Red Bull. "It wasn't feeling good at all," said Hamilton, addressing the performance of his car. "It felt like the car at its worst, but we will work on the set-up overnight. Last year, it felt terrible at the beginning and then we turned it around with some set-up changes. "So we will work on that and hopefully we will feel better."
Most read
