Lewis Hamilton has suggested that the FIA should impose a mandatory starting date for F1 teams to begin the development work of their following year's contender, thus banning early design work.
The seven-time F1 world champion believes such a scheme would perhaps lessen the chances of a team dominating the competition and would help level the sport's playing field.
Since last season, Red Bull has outraced its rivals with its new-generation cars. But this year, the Milton Keynes-based outfit's RB19 has so far proven unbeatable in the hands of Max Verstappen, the team's machine winning every single one of the eight races held to date.
Hamilton believes the bulls' unwavering supremacy is also allowing the team to switch its focus and resources to its 2024 contender, a benefit that could help Red Bull sustain its lead next season according to the Mercedes driver.
"It's not aimed at any one particular person or anything," he said, referring to his suggestion "It's just obviously in my 17 years of being here, even before I got here, you see a period of time of dominance. And it continues to happen.
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"I was really fortunate to have one of those periods that Max [Verstappen] is having now. But with the way it's going, it will continue to happen over and over again. And I don't think that we need that in sport.
"Just in my personal experience, when you're so far ahead, when you're 100 points ahead, you don't really need to do a lot more development on your car, and you can start earlier on your next car.
"And with a budget cap that means spending that year's money on the next year's car.
"But if everyone had a time for example, if everyone knew when we can really start, whatever date it is – October is way too late probably, but 1 August, something like that – then no one has a head start, and then it's a real race in that short space of time for the future car.
"I don't know, maybe that would help everyone be closer the following year, maybe.
"I might be wrong. But something's got to change. When we were winning world championships, we could start earlier than everybody else."
Hamilton's suggestion to impose a mandatory starting date for development, while interesting, fails to take into account the impact of F1's Aerodynamic Testing Restriction limits.
As last year's title winner, Red Bull is subjected to a 63% limit on its ATR. RBR technical director Pierre Wache says the team's aero testing restrictions will inevitably impact next year's car, and they won't be mitigated by the team's comfortable lead in the Constructors' championship.
"It is not easier because we are leading the championship," said Wache. "It is as difficult, we are going to the limit.
"I think it could affect, for sure ,the current development of the car and maybe close the grid this year. But also, it will affect massively next year’s car.
"I cannot tell you that it’s easier [to cope with the restriction] because we want the best car next year. Then, how it will affect our performance, I don’t know yet."
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