Lewis Hamilton thinks Formula 1 fans will need a university degree in the sport’s new regulations just to understand what’s happening in races this year.
F1 has a fresh set of rules this season, meaning teams and manufacturers have built cars and engines from scratch.
Things like battery management are expected to be key features of races, while drivers now have multiple power modes they can use throughout a race, like Overtake Mode, the battery-boosted system which has replaced the old Drag Reduction System (DRS).
However, moveable aerodynamic devices will still exist on the front and rear wing, which drivers can use at various points of a lap for a boost of speed at crucial moment.
Hamilton is not sure people will find the raft of new terminology and car elements easy to follow.
“None of the fans are going to understand it, I don’t think. It’s so complex,” Hamilton said in Bahrain, host of preseason testing this week.
“It’s ridiculously complex. I sat in a meeting the other day and they’re taking us through it. It’s ike you need a degree to fully understand it all.”
Asked if race wins now will simply be down to who manages the battery best throughout a grand prix, he said: “I have no clue, mate. I have no idea what’s going to happen. I can’t even answer that question.
“Energy management is going to be key. Which team is most on top of deployment and which driver is on top of that most.”
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Hamilton at least downplayed how complicated it will be for drivers to deal with all the new elements throughout a weekend.
“In terms of managing it, it’s pretty straightforward, I would say. Maybe in race trim, it’s going to be different. We will see.
“But then there also is a system that can automatically, you know, once you finish a lap, it learns the way that you’re driving. But say, for example, you lock up and go wide, you cover more distance, it affects that algorithm. So we’re just trying to get on top of it and understand it. But everyone’s in the same boat.”
