Hamilton urges longer F1 races as 2027 distance cut leaves him unconvinced

Lewis Hamilton has publicly disagreed with Formula 1’s plan to reduce standard grand prix distances from 305km to 290km starting in 2027, telling media at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that the sport should be moving in the opposite direction.

The change was announced on Monday and is driven by the new power unit regulations arriving in 2027, which increase the contribution of the internal combustion engine relative to electrical energy. Achieving that extra output requires a 5% rise in fuel flow, and rather than enlarging fuel tanks — which would add unwanted weight to cars already being redesigned — the governing body opted to trim race lengths. At most circuits, the reduction amounts to roughly three fewer laps.

Hamilton was direct in his assessment. “I don’t really know anything about it or any of the reasons they put behind it,” he said. “I think the races should be longer because the races are physically easier than ever before. So shortening I don’t think makes much sense.”

The seven-time world champion pointed to tyre development as a key factor in his argument, noting that modern Pirelli compounds are durable enough to cover full race distances on a single stop. “There are many races where I wish we had more laps,” he said.

Hamilton framed the issue in broader terms about what Formula 1 should represent as a sport. “This is supposed to be the sport that’s the most physically demanding, mentally and physically,” he said. “That’s where I think you want to see athletes just right on the edge, having to actually push their bodies further, because that’s what this sport is about. Shortening the races makes absolutely no sense to me.”

He cited Singapore and Malaysia as examples of the kind of gruelling conditions that test drivers to their limits, adding that the returning Malaysian Grand Prix — back on the calendar for the first time since 2017 — is likely to be particularly brutal in the heat.

Hamilton has a single victory at the Malaysian Grand Prix, taken in 2014 during the season in which he claimed his second world championship. He is now in his debut season with Ferrari after leaving Mercedes at the end of 2024.