Lewis Hamilton, last year Formula 1 champion, was unhappy with Barcelona’s track after it went through resurfacing. According to him, it had robbed “character” of the venue.
MotoGP had requested for resurfacing of Spanish Grand Prix venue, which was done in January. Complaints were filed about dangerously low level of grip at the track by the drivers.
Formula 1 new machines were launched for their first run of the new season at the Catalunya circuit, where drivers had the taste of their fresh pieces of 2018. The venue had been unwelcoming with its weather condition affecting the performance, due to which old records of the venue sustained.
Moreover, the track surface had caused the displeasure. Hamilton has expressed his feeling about the re-work on the surface of Barcelona, which he has compared with “a new house lacking character”.
He expressed, “I’m not quite sure why they do resurface [certain tracks], I think it’s a waste of money in general.
“The older the surface, the more character there is in a surface.
“If you smooth the thing out, you lose a lot of the character that a track like Barcelona has.
“I always relate it to a house. A brand new house has got no character, but if you go and buy an old house, it’ll always have a little bit more history and a little bit more character.
“I like a track that is a bit more dated in terms of surface. You go to drivers’ briefings and there are constantly complaints of bumps, but you can manoeuvre around bumps and you can brake a bit off line, or you have to set the car up to deal with it better in terms of ride.
“But that’s where the character of a circuit is – you flatten it all out and it’s got a bunch of corners but it’s missing something.”
British driver did not enjoy Barcelona, as he does not like a smooth ride.
He said, “It’s harder, it’s trickier [when a track is bumpy]. You’re going through a corner and the car starts moving a bit more, you have to be a bit more responsive and I like that challenge.
“When you smooth it out, you make it easier and in all honesty, this track has got easier. Driving it [this week] has been the easiest it’s been in the whole 10 years I’ve been driving.”
