Hamilton wants more physical F1 as 'youngsters have it quite easy'

Lewis Hamilton regrets that F1 is no longer the physical challenge it used to be, insisting Grand Prix racing should be "a man's sport" where drivers are left exhausted after a race.

Speaking in Montreal on Thursday ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix, Hamilton assessed F1's recent evolution and viewed the rule tweaking in the past few years as having done little to improve the sport from an entertainment perspective.

The Brit suggested that F1 needed to look beyond the rule-book for means to boost the show, but the five-time world champion also underlined the current lack of physical effort involved in driving a modern F1 car.

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"People do continue to comment that it’s boring," Hamilton said.

"How you stop that, that is definitely a part of the regulations but I think on a more global scale, I think there needs to be some more changes outside of the regulations in my opinion.

"I do think it should be the most physically challenging. You should be just so physically exhausted after the race, to the point…like a marathon.

"Sometimes you do these races and I could probably do two or three races in a row and Formula One should not be like that.

"It’s a man’s sport and a lot of youngsters come in and it’s quite easy for them to get straight into it."

Regarding how the sport and its regulations are shaped, Hamilton feels that drivers still aren't offered the input they deserve.

"Unfortunately, the technical regulations are done by the people with power, with money and we generally have a little say, if any, as to what changes will take place," added Hamilton.

"We do want to be a part of the conversation because ultimately we can help for the future."

The massively successful Brit, who comes from an underprivileged background and who remains to this day the only black driver to have raced in F1, also lamented the persistent lack of diversity that inhabits the sport at every level.

"There really is the most minimal diversity within this sport and I really somehow want to be a part of shape-shifting that with Formula One," explained the 34-year-old.

"I don’t know why there’s not enough university students, engineers, mechanics and even within the media, coming through from more diverse backgrounds."

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