Lewis Hamilton wants nothing to do with Formula 1’s plan to trim race distances from next season.
Speaking at Azerbaijan Grand Prix media day in Baku, the seven-time world champion said the case for shorter races simply does not add up.
“I think the races should be longer because the races are physically easier than ever before,” Hamilton said.
“Shortening the races makes absolutely no sense to me.”
What the rule actually changes
The F1 Commission signed off on the change on 21 September, cutting the standard grand prix from 305km to 290km beginning in 2027. That works out to two or three fewer laps at most circuits, with Monaco keeping its shorter 260km distance. According to The Race, the measure still needs to be ratified by the FIA World Motor Sport Council at its 15 October meeting, which is expected to be a formality.
The cut is tied to the 2027 power unit regulations: a higher fuel flow rate would otherwise force teams to fit larger fuel tanks, which would eat into their cost-cap budgets. Trimming the race distance was the compromise. The engine formula itself is shifting to roughly 58 per cent internal combustion and 42 per cent electrical output in 2027, before moving to 60-40 in 2028.
Hamilton: modern F1 already too easy
Hamilton’s frustration is with the direction of travel. Modern tyre compounds allow one-stop strategies with little management, and he wants the sport pushed the other way.
“There’s been many races where I wish we had more laps,” he said.
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“This is supposed to be the sport that’s the most physically demanding. Mentally and physically.”
He also made clear the announcement had caught him cold.
“I don’t really know anything about it or any of the reasons they put up behind it,” he said.
Russell shrugs it off
Not every driver in the paddock sees a problem. George Russell, Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate, said in Baku the difference would be marginal, joking it meant a “slightly earlier bath on Sunday afternoon.”
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Russell noted that some races, such as Singapore, can feel long while others, such as Monza, feel short. His verdict on the 15km cut was that it “doesn’t change a lot.”
The FIA’s own statement was more clinical, framing the reduction as a straight consequence of the engine changes. “In line with the refinements to the Power Unit regulations to be introduced in 2027 on fuel flow, a reduction in the total race distance from 305km to 290km was approved,” the body said.
The distance cut sits inside a wider set of tweaks agreed at the same London meeting. The three-hour overall event cap has been dropped, though the two-hour ceiling on active racing time remains, and teams will now have more flexibility to extend Free Practice sessions that are interrupted, a provision previously reserved for Sprint weekends. The World Motor Sport Council votes on the package on 15 October.
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