Max Verstappen has hit back at Lewis Hamilton’s suggestion that Formula 1 should implement a fixed date for teams to begin developing their cars for the following year.
Hamilton made the suggestion on Thursday in Austria amid Red Bull’s dominant start to the 2023 campaign.
“They don’t have to make any changes to their car anymore because they’re so far ahead,” he said. “They’re cruising at 100 points ahead of us.
“I think the FIA should probably put a time when everyone is allowed to start developing for next year’s car. ‘August 1st, that’s when everyone can start’.
“Then no one can get an advantage for next year, because that sucks.”
Red Bull is no longer bringing major F1 upgrades to events and can now focus more on its 2024 car.
Having taken all eight race victories on offer so far this year, it currently sits 154 over Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship.
And as it now has a buffer over the field, it can pool its resources into next year’s car, boosting the chance of it once again starting off on the right foot.
But while Red Bull has dominated F1 since 2022, Mercedes was the clear pick of the field from 2014 to 2020, winning seven Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in a row.
Verstappen highlighted that Hamilton wasn’t vocal over his development suggestion when he was winning.
“We weren’t talking about that when he was winning his championships, right? I don’t think we should now,” Verstappen told Sky F1.
“That’s how Formula 1 works. When you have a competitive car, it’s great. But at some point you have to look ahead to next year.
“It’s normal that people behind us say these kind of things. But they should also not forget when they were winning how it was looking.
“People would comment these kind of things and people would probably say different. That’s how it goes in F1.
“Life is unfair as well. It’s not only in Formula 1. Like I said, a lot of things are unfair, so we just have to deal with it.”
