Lewis Hamilton slates latest F1 change: 'What a waste of money!'

Lewis Hamilton has slated as "a waste of money" the latest FIA regulation change introduced into F1 this weekend.

Considerable fanfare had been aired about the FIA's decision to clampdown on flexible wings following complaints made by some teams last season against their rivals.

Motorsport's world governing body opted to introduce new load tests for both rear and front wings, the former from the start of the campaign, and the latter from this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

The delay over the front wings was in fairness to the teams to avoid designing a new component for the season's start when they would have spent considerable sums of money on an original.

Seven-time F1 champion Hamilton, however, has pulled no punches in his condemnation of the decision which he feels has made no difference after experiencing the effect of the new front wing over the opening two days of the event so far at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.

Speaking to media post-qualifying, and asked by RacingNews365 on whether he had noticed any discernible difference, Hamilton replied: "The balance is definitely not as as nice as we had before, but it hasn't made any odds. What a waste of money!

"It's just wasted everyone's money. It's literally changed nothing.

"Everyone's wings still bend, which is half the bending, and everyone's had to make new wings, and spend more money to make these. It's just doesn't make sense. It is what it is, and we just continue on."

Hamilton then answered a question on an unrelated topic, and was poised to answer another when he voluntarily returned to the front-wing situation.

He added: "Should have given the money to charity. I know, let's waste some money!"

Hamilton confused

Hamilton will start the Spanish GP from fifth on the grid, out-qualifying Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc for only the second time this season, and the first since the second race of the campaign in China.

Hamilton had described his car as "not driveable" over the radio during the second practice session, but he and his team found performance overnight to elevate him to within a quarter of a second of second-on-the-grid Lando Norris in his McLaren.

Dismissing suggestions he was frustrated after Friday practice, Hamilton explained the situation.

"I was just confused because we didn't really change anything in the car," said Hamilton. "We lost some downforce from the floor, and there was a massive shift in balance, and we didn't do anything.

"We discovered it afterwards, and we rectified that, and the car has been much better, so we have clearly improved for qualifying, which is a real positive.

"But we've got to keep building from here because we clearly don't have the pace of the guys up ahead."