Lewis Hamilton defends F1 rules as Max Verstappen criticism rages on

Lewis Hamilton has defended Formula 1's new power unit regulations following the Chinese Grand Prix, while Max Verstappen continued to criticise the ruleset.

Hamilton secured his first podium for Ferrari at the Shanghai International Circuit after defeating Charles Leclerc in a mid-race battle.

He had challenged for the lead in the opening laps, but the Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell proved too strong.

Major criticism of the new regulations continued in China following the second race of the season, with Verstappen insisting that the new rules "will ruin the sport" and "bite them in the ass".

Verstappen had another bad start, which dropped him to 16th, but a strong recovery saw him look set for points in sixth until a late issue with his Red Bull forced him to retire.

There were no such issues for Hamilton, who praised how closely another car can be followed under the new rules and described the racing as "the best" he has ever experienced in F1.

Asked if the cars are easier to follow, Hamilton said: "Yeah, the cars are easier to follow, much better than past years. You can get very close. There’s not a bad wake where you’re losing too much downforce. 

"I think it’s the best racing that I’ve ever experienced in Formula 1. Of course, these guys are pulling past us at crazy speeds, but to be able to all be so close… It’s great that we have the good start at the moment and hopefully that stays the same through the year. 

"Given that they’ve gone for a different option where they have more power, we’ve got to figure out how we can improve our straight-line speed. But hopefully it was an exciting race to watch for you guys because it was awesome in the car. 

"It felt like go-karting, back and forth, back and forth, and you could really position your car in a nice way where there was a thin piece of paper between us sometimes, but we didn’t exchange any paint. I think that’s down to great drivers and respect."