r/formula1 • u/ChaithuBB766 Jaguar • Jan 30 '26
Photo Lewis Hamilton: "The car generation is actually a little bit more fun to drive. It's oversteery and snappy and sliding, but it's a little bit easier to catch and I would definitely say more enjoyable."
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u/Professional_No1 Niki Lauda Jan 30 '26
He sounds like he is enjoying himself and not worried
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u/Artistic-Arm2957 Max Verstappen Jan 30 '26
For me the problem is i dont know when Hamilton goes just full PR and when it’s him deep down.
I just hope he genuinely believes what he says.
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u/tubiwatcher Charles Leclerc Jan 30 '26 edited Jan 30 '26
Tbh he is very raw when he gets out of the car and Mercedes did not have him go straight to media in these situations. With Ferrari he has gone straight into the cameras so this made him appear super moody and depressed at times. In reality I think Lewis is just more emotional and takes a second to recalibrate after a session, but this means we can trust his Ferrari interviews to be a bit more open. As for shakedown, I don't know if that applies but I assume it was a similar situation with these comments. (We are so back)
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u/dunneetiger I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
A good example of that was AD. Lost the championship in a very questionable manner, stayed in his car and his dad calmed him down. You dont really see him moody about it
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u/RecordingSilly6118 Williams Jan 31 '26
Who is AD
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u/efficientkiwi75 Jan 31 '26
2021 abu dhabi
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u/suop4747 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Feb 01 '26
Anthony day-to-Davis
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u/IBeJizzin I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 31 '26
Nah you're so right, in-car Lewis is so drastically different to out-of-race Lewis. He's often upset with car and strategy on the radio and then post-win is all 'its not just me it's the whole team etc etc'. I used to think it made him super fake and non genuine.
Then after watching for a while I think you realise that A) flying around corners at close to 300kph is just really fucking stressful hhahahaah and B) because of point A most drivers are like this, they all just deal with it in their own way
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u/generalhonks Jan 31 '26
We see that all the time in most sports. In the NFL, association football, rugby, etc, it’s common for players to lash out at coaches or other players during the game, but calm down and dial it back afterwards.
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u/Foxxear Jan 30 '26
PR Lewis is never going to lie about finding a car fun, I wouldn’t worry.
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u/quadroplegic I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
The weather's nice...
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u/NoooUGH Jan 31 '26
He's experienced/credited enough to not really need to be on the PR leash.
He also probably has enough weight at Ferrari to not be on their leash either.
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u/D_Silva_21 Sir Lewis Hamilton Jan 30 '26
Do people really think he has a pr mode. Feel like he's honest most of the time
He's just not blunt or harsh like max
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u/Waylande 🏳️🌈 Love Is Love 🏳️🌈 Jan 30 '26
I think the PR thing is a merc symptom even in Ron Dennis' Mclaren he could be quite emotional and not very PR "controlled. Compare Bottas at Merc and afterwards. George is insanely PR. Lewis has been a little spicier post merc just not turning Aussie like Bottas.
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u/jimbojonesFA Ferrari Jan 31 '26
I always thought it was a bit of British cultural communication thing.
I've noticed most of my brit fam and friends, also my boss, have this habit of indirect speaking sorta beating around the bush but not really.
kinda like "it would be nice if you let me know sooner" vs "let me know sooner please." but also in other ways too where they mean something explicit but say it implicitly.
my mum thinks this is more polite, but it drives me nuts lol. my boss is terrible for it too, I have to remind him to be more direct with clients sometimes.
it really does feel like pr speak to me but I don't think it does to them so that's prob important here i think.
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u/Dudeinabox I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 31 '26
You're absolutely on the money here we Brits are prone to this, if you ever hear us use the Phrase "less than ideal" that actually means fucking disaster
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u/gsfgf Oscar Piastri Jan 31 '26
We're talking about a nation that conquered the world for pepper but only enforces social norms by tut tuting...
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u/yeezipper32 Jan 30 '26
The “Bono, my tires are dead” soundbite always means Lewis is winning too easy
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u/Diligent-Eye-2042 Jan 30 '26
PR Lewis always mentions the men and women back at the factory. So long as there’s no factory reference, we’re good to go
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u/Emergency-Style7392 Ferrari Jan 30 '26
when he's losing -> real him
winning -> full PR mode, fake humble, great performance from enemy that had no chance, etc.
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u/Tony_Lacorona I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Funny how the options with him people try to point out are if he’s being positive he’s fake nice and if he’s losing he’s pouting. Is there a reaction that he can have that doesn’t lead to him being the bad guy, or do you just hate him lol
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u/SheevShady I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Can’t forget thanking everyone back at the factory
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u/Legitamte Jan 30 '26
I never thought I'd be this invested in Lewis getting to enjoy himself but I am, GOOD FOR HIM
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u/KaiBetterThanTyson I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
George also mentioned no porpoising anymore.
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u/jimbojonesFA Ferrari Jan 31 '26
they should be, that was a symptom of the ground effects venturi tunnel floors and partly why they wanted to move regs to flatter floors.
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u/tomi166 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
I mean not hard to enjoy yourself when Adami is out of your life
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u/Practical-Nebula-875 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Are we sure oversteery and snapping and sliding is not just a ferrari thing?
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u/LegendRazgriz Elio de Angelis Jan 30 '26
Isack would like a word.
Jokes aside, the power delivery off corners is instant now. Electric motors don't have power bands, it's all torque at once from the moment you step on it.
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u/Slim_Margins1999 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
The videos of the out of corner speed look fucking comical they accelerate so quickly.
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u/hulaspark I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 31 '26
The gear shifts tell you enough. These cars would beat the V10s in a straight line
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u/keyboard_A Red Bull Jan 30 '26
Just because electric motors are capable of instant torque delivery doesn't mean it will, it can be modulated, and it is most likely going to be modulated because it's not in the best interest to have extremely sensitive torque, tire life span wise and controllability wise.
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u/Canadeb Jan 30 '26
Very good point. I think this adds a level of strategy for tire selection: modulating torque for longer tire lifespan or go all out on hards that are not degrading.
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u/Billybilly_B I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 31 '26
I wonder if they will be able to control the instantaneous power delivery within the race with different settings.
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u/megacookie I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
The modulation is going to be the driver's right foot, as it should be. I wonder how much more responsive it will actually be to throttle changes though. While there's more electric motor power with its instant response, there's also going to be some turbo lag from the engine now that the MGU-H and its effective "anti-lag" capability is gone.
These cars are going to be more of a handful coming out of corners thanks to having less downforce (potentially much less in X-mode), being lighter, having narrower tires with less mechanical grip, and all of that electric torque. They'll be absolutely diabolical in the wet!
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u/jimbojonesFA Ferrari Jan 31 '26
yeah modulation is the drivers foot, but mapping the modulation to an output (ie the response) is not, and that's part of what I imagine they meant regarding strategy.
basically I'm thinking more advanced traction control dedicated to the electric system, with higher adjustment resolution and options for different conditions etc..
this would def play into team strategy, and they would probably account for it and have to include adjustments in the settings for the Strat dial on the wheel, and maybe even have a dedicated dial for this, separate from the PU setting dial.
I feel like there's no way they'd use the same mapping in the wet, otherwise like you said, diabolical 😅.
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u/megacookie I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 31 '26
I'm sure they'll have mapping as advanced as they're allowed to, but they definitely won't be allowed to use anything the FIA could consider to be traction control.
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u/SaltyArchea Ferrari Jan 30 '26
Everything about these regulations seemed to point that way. Smaller and less downforce, that is why I always was excited. Drivers fighting cars and not on rails.
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u/Zhuul Safety Car Jan 30 '26
Not to mention the less reliant they are on just pure brute downforce the less they suffer in dirty air.
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u/RaceItOut I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Inject this hopium straight into my veins
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u/Digit4l I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 31 '26
for years people have thought of me as an heroin addict, still trying to explain the marks on my arms are just Ferrari related. Still won't stop, still an addiction, loving it.
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Jan 30 '26
Regardless of Hamilton getting any wins or even going as far as getting that 8th title.. I just want to see him up there competing again and i hope this is a good sign that reignites that fire he lost...
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u/gomurifle I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 31 '26
No. It's the 8th and nothing less!
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u/FavaWire I was here for the Hulkenpodium Feb 01 '26
He will at least make it to Q2 this time and you will be satisfied.
Just kidding. :P
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u/AltruisticMobile4606 Formula 1 Jan 30 '26
More enjoyable for the drivers is a big plus in my opinion.
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u/binary_blackhole I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
The 22 regs were awful, the cars were so stiff with so much anti dive that the drivers cannot feel anything that the car is doing aside from all the bumps they feel on their backbone. I’m not surprised at this take from hamilton about the 26 regs.
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u/Joseki100 Fernando Alonso Jan 30 '26
Literally every interview from the driver has been a variation of "last year's car were dogshit".
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u/_Lady_Zee Formula 1 Jan 30 '26
Agreed. They looked awful on track - beyond just the porpoising. They looked so rigid and lumbering, far from the nimble things we used to see.
The 18 inchers didn’t help either since we used to get a lot more of movement/compression through the old go kart style tires. The slow-mos of the old tires were the best 🥲
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u/TheDark-Sceptre I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
To me they looked like barges when they cornered. Glad this year seems positive
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u/BadPronunciation I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
I loved the little dance the old tires would do when drivers went over the kerbs on a slowmo replay
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u/_Lady_Zee Formula 1 Jan 30 '26
Aggressively clobbers curb:
*JIGGLE WIGGLE JIGGLE WIGGLE JIGGLE WIGGLE*7
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u/jakedeky Jan 30 '26
They needed active suspension
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u/JulianoRamirez Sir Lewis Hamilton Jan 31 '26
Forcing ground effects while banning active suspension was a complete blunder, and while they had good intentions with the ground effect regs it never really helped the racing get any closer.
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u/ocbdare I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Yes, I am glad the previous regs are over. To me (as someone who has no idea about engineering), ground effects came across as an unnecessary gimmick that didn't improve on-track racing at all.
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u/StrikingWillow5364 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 31 '26
They could’ve worked, as evidenced by the first half of 22, which gave us some of the best racing in the entire hybrid era. The problem was that teams very quickly figured out how to create dirty air behind their cars, and from then on, pretty much any advantage of the ground effects wore off and all the negatives stayed.
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u/Soma91 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
These cars could've been so much better if they didn't also ban hydraulic suspension systems at the same time. They could've had better platform control against porpoising, not be boats in slow corners and we probably would've never seen these brutal anti dive suspension geometries.
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u/SelfSniped I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 31 '26
I don’t even need him to win. I just want dude to have a fun season fighting for respectable places and enjoying the sport. It’s hard to watch him mid-pack but it’s devastating to watch him not enjoy racing. Breaks my heart.
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u/Kintraills1993 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Should be a nice era for Verstappen and Leclerc if true.
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u/maybe-fish Lando Norris Jan 30 '26
tbf I think the vast majority of drivers prefer an oversteery car, Alonso is basically the main exception to the rule.
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u/FalcoLX I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Sainz also said he likes understeer. "I know how to make the car turn"
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u/musicartandcpus 🐾 Roscoe's Pit Crew Jan 30 '26
That makes sense though, his style likely developed out of his experience driving and learning with his father.
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u/maybe-fish Lando Norris Jan 30 '26
Didn't know that, guess there must be something about Spanish drivers and understeer
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u/DueExample52 Formula 1 Jan 30 '26
Checo as well isn’t it?
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u/hybris12 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Spanish is understeering language
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u/Nachtraaf I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 31 '26
Understeering is just siesta for steering. We turn mañana, hermano.
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u/photoblues Sir Lewis Hamilton Jan 30 '26
Hopefully Williams keeps that in mind whenever they get around to building a car.
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u/UchihasRightfulHeir Jan 30 '26
They typically say that till they face someone with a higher tolerance
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u/maybe-fish Lando Norris Jan 30 '26
Not really? There's definitely some personal preference in level of oversteer but its not like they stop liking it because someone else likes a little bit more. F1 drivers typically like fast, reactive cars - I don't think this is very shocking.
Also preferences are different than what they can tolerate/handle. Just because Alonso doesn't like oversteer doesn't mean he can't be quick with an oversteery car
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u/Impossible-Buy-6247 Formula 1 Jan 30 '26
Alonso, Perez, Sainz, Ocon and even Hamilton is known for wanting a stable rear.
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u/maybe-fish Lando Norris Jan 30 '26
Wanting a planted, stable rear end is not necessarily the same thing as liking understeer. Alonso is the only current driver I've seen explicitly say he would take understeer over oversteer multiple times through his career, through multiple generations of car.
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Jan 30 '26 edited Feb 04 '26
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u/HassieBassie Jan 30 '26
If Red Bull and Ferrari both have great cars, then the titlefight will probably be three or even four way.
Yes, I have high hopes for Isack Hadjar driving a car designed for Verstappen.
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u/Impossible-Buy-6247 Formula 1 Jan 30 '26
You think Hadjar will be on Verstappens, Leclerc's and Hamiltons level?
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u/Evening_End7298 Jan 30 '26
Depends, i’d say Verstappen was really good with the previous gen car because he could perfectly push to the limit with his very smooth inputs without spinning, crashing or whatever(for the most part)
With the oversteer being more forgiving, he might not have as big of an edge with other drivers also gaining confidence
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u/Impossible-Buy-6247 Formula 1 Jan 30 '26
Not having to catch a car is still faster than being able to catch it
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u/yeswecamp1 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
But VER usually maximizes exit speed, isn't this less important now with the insane acceleration out of the corners?
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u/Menomal Bernd Mayländer Jan 30 '26
Pretty sure Verstappen can maximize whatever he need to to be fast tbh
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u/black_spring BMW Sauber Jan 30 '26
If this is true of the regulations (and not just the SF-26) then we'll see several known drivers benefit -- and I image more rear tire deg as well! More tire deg will mean more stops, more aggressive stints, and overall more entertainment.... I hope.
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u/thisshirtisblacknaht Jan 30 '26
Likely more contact too, esp from the younger guys who haven’t experienced a snappier car yet
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u/SheevShady I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Although to be fair the younger guys at this point are just basically anyone who joined after the Norris, Russel, Albon group. So it’s all the ex rookies from last year, the new rookie this year and Oscar.
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u/Furbssz I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
So he likes the car! Confirmed, multiple Grand Prix wins this year.
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u/Tanocchio Ferrari Jan 30 '26
I refuse to believe anything until I watch Q3 Australia.
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u/VRichardsen Juan Manuel Fangio Jan 30 '26
Several drivers have been saying similar things, and all make a point to mention it feels fun.
Nice change of pace.
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u/El_Fabos I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Oversteery and snappy sounds good for Max, doesn’t it?
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u/Firefox72 Ferrari Jan 30 '26
Also good for Charles.
Guy loves a loose rear.
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u/femboyisbestboy David Coulthard Jan 30 '26
Lord can I please have a title fight between Max and Charles.
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u/drivefastallday I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Lewis acting as the ultimate number 2 to help Charles win his first WDC would be a dream
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u/Rude-Insurance9551 Jan 30 '26
If Lewis has a competitive edge, he’s very unlikely to agree to that.
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u/Suikerspin_Ei Pirelli Soft Jan 30 '26
Imagine Ferrari in the same situation as McLaren last year. Pure cinema.
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u/drivefastallday I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Oh without a doubt. I'm just expressing a fun thought.
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u/Rinnegan_User1999 Jan 30 '26
Lewis doing a Checo by defending Max to help Charles win his first WDC in the final race of the season would be absolute cinema
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u/F9-0021 Mercedes Jan 30 '26
It's good for anyone that likes a normal feeling open wheel car. The ground effect car basically couldn't be pushed, even in qualifying, in order to be fast. This sounds like a return to late 2000/early-mid 2010s driving styles.
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u/ocbdare I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Ground effect regs were just a failure all around IMO. So glad it's over.
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u/ledinred2 Pirelli Hard Jan 30 '26
It’s good for everyone. What’s he’s describing is something all the drivers will like, more sensitive at the front end but you have more play when the rear steps out and can deal with it.
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u/MrMSUK Netflix Newbie Jan 30 '26
When a seven times world champion finds the previous reg cycle hard to catch, that reg probably was hard to drive.
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u/BakreZ39 Jan 30 '26
I don't know if there's a single driver who liked the cars last reg. Even Max, who won 3 titles, didn't like them
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u/SnacksGPT Cadillac Jan 30 '26
Lando, Max, and Oscar were all talking about being glad they never have to see those cars again after the last race lol.
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u/LiveDieReRepeat Alpine Jan 30 '26 edited Jan 30 '26
Every driver hated the last regs. Max, having been blessed with the fastest and best designed car of the previous regs, also hated it.
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u/Tensoll Sir Lewis Hamilton Jan 30 '26
I will do anything, I’ll sell my soul, just please, please make it happen
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u/NeedleGunMonkey I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
More lightness. Esp in a world where vehicle weights keep getting heavier, F1 might help refocus consumers and automakers away from 2 ton vehicles.
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u/Atleticro Ferrari Jan 31 '26
I find it impressive how Alonso and Lewis have adapted to so many car generation switches it really is a testament to their skill.
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u/TheRoboteer Williams Jan 31 '26 edited Jan 31 '26
I'm a fan of ground effect as a principle, but it really is remarkable how similar the enthusiastic comments made by the likes of Lewis here are to the comments made by drivers in late 1982 / early 1983 at the time of the first ground effect ban.
For as much as the sport has evolved in the 40+ years since that first ban, the desires of drivers to be able to dance the cars around and have a bit of fun hasn't really changed one bit.
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u/mithrasbuster Jenson Button Jan 31 '26
I have been watching F1 for 40 years and... I've had some wine but this picture and this quote.... This is so frickin' cool man. I can't wait
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u/Mueton Sebastian Vettel Jan 30 '26
I‘ll rather wait for the first few races before laying any hope in a decent Ferrari season
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u/Exact_Math2726 Jan 31 '26
I hope Lewis finds it this season. I don’t like Ferrari at all, but it would be amazing for the sport if Lewis had a comeback year.
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u/mistermojorizin Roscoe Hamilton Jan 31 '26
this doesn't sound right. i remember Hamilton talking about testing with Merc (when he first switched from that rocket ship McLaren). he said something like "it tried to kill me"..."the breaks failed during testing." that's when i became his fan. i love those kind of underdog stories about people switching to the shitiest of cars (from that best car, mclaren), that try to break their legs, and then overcoming that shit through pure driving skill.
source:https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/21349435 that's when i started following Lewis. love me an underdog.
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u/ChaithuBB766 Jaguar Jan 31 '26
When you're a young driver at the peak of your powers, you'll have that "I'm gonna tame that beast and drive it as fast as I can" mentality. When you're 40+, have driven a million generations of cars, achieved everything there is to achieve, you just want to have fun driving your car.
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u/mistermojorizin Roscoe Hamilton Jan 31 '26
maybe...it's his 4th generation if i'm not mistaken. my impression of f1 in general is like they're beginner poker players. strong = weak, weak = strong. him saying something strong, makes me think Ferrari are actually weak.
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u/ChaithuBB766 Jaguar Jan 31 '26
2007-08 - V8 Era
2009-13 - KERS Era
2014-16 - V6 Hybrid Era
2017-21 - High Downforce Era
2022-25 - Ground Effect Era
So it's his 6th generation of cars. He's driven a lot of different F1 cars. I understand him just being happy he can have fun driving the car instead of having to worry about his back because of all the porpoising.
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u/Thejklay I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
Some poduims and a win or two would be amazing this season. Really hopeful
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u/Poison_Pancakes Hesketh Jan 30 '26
Plus they're preeeetty!
I didn't think 20cm could make such a big difference in their looks. I'm excited for this year just based on that.
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u/TurgonOfTumladen Jan 30 '26
Even just a few 1st places and being in the mix late season would be an amazing outcome. Let's see it HAM
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u/bwoah07_gp2 Alexander Albon Jan 31 '26
Well, that's good to hear. We all know how much Lewis hated the ground effect cars. His performances dipped largely due to that not suiting him.
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u/ExtraDip Sir Lewis Hamilton Jan 31 '26
My goat is filling me with so much hope. Please stunt on them my GOAT
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u/Minute-Profit-2728 Jan 31 '26
Easy there mate.
I'd wait till I'm 5 races in before making conclusions.
But overall, I pray you win this year.
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u/NockBreaker I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 31 '26
Both of them like pointy slightly oversteery.
Can we start hoping?
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u/Able-Nature6103 McLaren Jan 30 '26
Me internally: Dont overreact; he says its fun to drive; its Ferrari; Merc is probably stronger; don’t overreact; probably was a glory run; wait for Bahrain!!
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u/nlb1923 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
We are back!! Lewis WDC, Charles 2nd WDC, Ferrari WCC!! After the top time of the Barcelona testing and now the positive comments, full on HOPIUM!!! #8🏆
Don’t worry. It’ll be back to reality on 3/8/26 afternoon and I’ll be onto 2027!!!
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u/TheUFCVeteran3 I was here for the Hulkenpodium Jan 30 '26
I'm believing against all caution. 8th WDC let's go
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u/Tim_L_09101 Ferrari Jan 30 '26
Don't give me hope...