Lewis hamilton slams 'waste of money' after unexpected outcome at spanish gp

FORMULA 1 CHIEFS FORCED TEAMS TO DEVELOP NEW FRONT WINGS AHEAD OF SUNDAY'S SPANISH GRAND PRIX BUT LEWIS HAMILTON BELIEVES THAT THE MONEY WOULD'VE BEEN BETTER OFF GOING TO CHARITY

13:30, 01 Jun 2025Updated 13:33, 01 Jun 2025 A bemused Lewis Hamilton claims that it was a 'waste of money' to force the teams to develop new front wings ahead of the Spanish Grand

Prix. It was hoped that the eagerly-anticipated changes might help the likes of Hamilton's Ferrari move closer to reigning Constructors' champions and runaway leaders McLaren. But

it became evident after the first practice session on Friday that the changes hadn't made much of an impact. Then in qualifying, McLaren completed a front-row lockout, as Oscar Piastri

grabbed pole with team-mate British star Lando Norris right behind him. Towards the end of last season, McLaren's so-called flexi front wing prompted rivals Red Bull and Ferrari to

seek clarification from Formula 1's governing body, the FIA, over its design. In response, a 5mm reduction of permissible flex in the wings when tested by FIA chiefs has now been

introduced ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix in Barcelona. But Hamilton, who went fifth fastest in qualifying, hasn't seen the benefit. It has not made a difference," the Ferrari

star bemoaned. "It's been a waste of money. It's just wasted everyone's money. "Everyone's wings still bend, it's just half the bending, and

everyone's had to make new wings and spend more money to make these. It doesn't make sense... I would have given that money to charity." READ MORE: F1 driver suffers serious

injury and will miss Spanish GP to undergo surgeryREAD MORE: George Russell left with Spanish GP concern despite Mercedes return to form McLaren team principal Andrea Stella explained that

his team never feared that the stricter tests flex tests would a 'game-changer', with Piastri and Norris also leading the Drivers' Championship race. "The technical

directive was a big talking point," Stella told Sky Sports at the Circuit de Catalunya. Article continues below "It was quite immaterial. It was always going to be minor when you

look at the numbers. It entertained to have this kind of debate but our simulations said everything was very small. We weren't concerned from this point of view." WHO'LL WIN

THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX? GIVE US YOUR PREDICTION IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. Hamilton was still happy with his own performance on Saturday, out-qualifying team-mate Charles Leclerc for only the

second time this year. The seven-time world champion is now eyeing his first Grand Prix podium in the red of Ferrari after a frustrating first few months with his new team. "Friday

started off fun, but we had some problem with the floor in FP2 and I was losing a lot of downforce. But we fixed it for today and the car was much more drive-able, much more enjoyable,"

Hamilton said. "We clearly have made an improvement going into qualifying to get into Q3 when it's so close and to be in the top five, I'm really happy with that." SIGN

UP TO OUR FREE WEEKLY F1 NEWSLETTER, PIT LANE CHRONICLE, BY ENTERING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW SO THAT EVERY NEW EDITION LANDS STRAIGHT IN YOUR INBOX! The 40-year-old added: "I did get a

bit of a long run yesterday [in practice] and it's definitely going to be close between everybody. It's amazing how close everybody is in qualifying and how half a tenth can put

you from sixth down to 11th. That's pretty mad. Article continues below "The long run is going to be challenging tomorrow for everybody. I think most people have mostly softs and

one medium, Charles and a couple of other people have two mediums. "Which tyres are the best? Which strategy is the best? We'll see. They key is going to be getting a good start.

My goal is to get a podium - I haven't had a podium in God knows how long, so that's my target for tomorrow." Calling all Lewis Hamilton fans! This article contains affiliate

links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more Official merch from £35 F1 Store Shop the Lewis Hamilton range Celebrate the start of a new Formula 1 season

and show your support for Lewis Hamilton with official Scuderia Ferrari teamwear, merchandise and memorabilia now available from the F1 Store.