Lewis Hamilton made harsh criticisms of the growing dependence on software in Formula 1 and stated that drivers end up being harmed by energy management systems, instead of being rewarded for driving faster.
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During his participation in the StarTalk podcast, hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson on the weekend of the Miami GP, the Ferrari driver commented on the difficulties imposed by the current technical regulations. According to Hamilton, even for fans it is complicated to understand how modern cars work. “It is very difficult for fans to fully understand, and it is also difficult for us, because the ultimate goal when driving a Formula 1 car is to push it to the limit,” he said.
The seven-time world champion explained that the battery limitation and the constant need for recharging create contradictory situations for the drivers. “We have less charge this year because they removed the MGU-H. If you take a high-speed corner faster, taking more risks, you end up being penalized afterwards because you don’t recharge enough energy,” he said.
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Hamilton also revealed that he faced a software-related problem during a session in Miami. “Yesterday I was losing three tenths of a second simply because the software wasn’t doing its job. I only found out when I went back to talk to the engineers. I apologized for being slow, and they replied: ‘You’re not slow, the software just wasn’t working,’” he said.
For the British driver, this type of situation reduces the importance of driving skill. “This is really frustrating, because in the past this kind of problem didn’t exist. We need less of this,” he concluded. After nine rounds of the 2026 season, Hamilton is in third place in the drivers’ championship, behind Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, both from Mercedes.
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