Hamilton: Don’t blame the drivers for boring F1 races

French Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton insists the blame for boring Formula 1 races should be pinned on the sport’s rule-makers and not the drivers.

Hamilton dominated proceedings at Paul Ricard and finished 18 seconds clear of teammate Valtteri Bottas to claim his sixth win from the opening eight events and continue Mercedes’ streak of victories at the start of the 2019 season.

The race was largely uneventful but the reigning world champion - who has opened up a 36-point lead in the drivers’ standings - says the current state of F1 is down to many years of “bad decisions”.

“When you say ‘it’s boring’, I totally understand it, I remember growing up watching it,” Hamilton said.

“But don’t point the fingers at the drivers because we don’t write the rules, we don’t have anything to do with the money shift and all that kind of stuff.

“We should put the pressure on people that are at the head, that should be doing the job. I think they are trying to but for many, many years they’ve made bad decisions.

“Do I have confidence it’s going to shift massively? I have faith it’s going to get better, to the point that I went to Paris last week to get involved.

“I was in that meeting watching all the bosses of F1 and the FIA and all the Formula 1 teams and trying to get involved.  I have nothing to gain by it, I’ve been there, but if there’s anything I can do to help.

“But they’re making all these decisions but never once had a driver’s input in that room so if that can be the decisive point that helps shift it so the fans can get better racing, I’d be proud to be a part of that.”

Hamilton refuted suggestions about considering “showboating” by allowing his rival drivers ahead in a bid to spice up the action, adding that he prefers the intensity of a battle, such as his fight with Sebastian Vettel at the Canadian Grand Prix.

"I really enjoyed the last race and races like that, I’ve never made any secret of that,” he explained.

“That’s the races that people enjoy most, and of course races like these [today] are not the ones people enjoy most. But I think it’s really important for people to realise it’s not the driver’s fault.  

“This is a constant cycle of Formula 1, for years and years and years even before I got here, it’s because of the way Bernie [Ecclestone] had it set up and the decisions that were made then are still the same.

“Until that management structure changes it will continue to be the same, in my opinion, and that’s not my job to do that, it’s my job to do the best I can as a driver.”