Lewis Hamilton Says New F1 Cars Will Be a “Massive Challenge”

Previous reports showed that the 2017 cars could get around some corners up to 25 miles per hour faster than the 2016 ones.

byAaron Brown|
Lewis Hamilton Says New F1 Cars Will Be a “Massive Challenge”
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Mercedes Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton is unsure he's physically ready to hop behind the wheel of his 2017 race car.

The new cars could complete hot laps up to four seconds faster than the 2016 season's race cars.

"I don't know if I'll be easily fit enough, or will struggle a bit or be super-underneath and need to work harder," Hamilton said to the BBC.

In January, Motorsport reported that the 2017 season cars could be up to 25 miles per hour faster through corners, according to data collected via simulation. Wider tires, wider cars, and larger aerodynamic bits have likely contributed to the increased speed.

"Every single team has been asked to provide simulations for their 2017 cars," said Formula One Deputy Race Director Laurent Mekies at the Autosport International Show, according to Motorsport. "We used these simulations to feed our simulation software. We therefore simulated every single track with the 2017 car, so there is much higher cornering speed. It's up to 40 km/h faster in high-speed corners."

Formula One grand prix tracks are being upgraded to accommodate the higher risks that come with the increased speeds.

"Every single track is receiving from the FIA a request to upgrade based on that," said Mekies. "That process is ongoing; we are doing it in the order of the championship to be perfectly honest."

As you can see, the new cars are requiring a bit of work from everyone, Mr. Hamilton. So get it together.

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