Formula 1 teams have firmly rejected a proposal from Lewis Hamilton to modify energy management rules at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, according to The Race. The Ferrari driver pushed for the change following a terrifying near-miss during Thursday practice involving Liam Lawson, where closing speeds reached 50km/h through the high-speed Turn 18/19 sweeps.
That hairy moment happened because the current energy-starved machines make drivers conserve battery power ahead of a timed run. Running through the flat-out section between Turn 16 and the start/finish line without extra deployment creates a massive speed offset against cars on out laps. Lawson had to take sudden avoiding action at 300km/h to avoid smashing into the back of the Ferrari.
During a Thursday night hearing with the stewards—which earned Hamilton a reprimand—the veteran floated a concrete fix. He suggested the FIA mandate full energy use until after Turn 19 to wipe out slow traffic entirely through that treacherous sequence. That idea was subsequently brought to the FIA during the Thursday night drivers' briefing.
Unfortunately, the paddock showed zero appetite for the adjustment. Teams argued that altering energy deployment patterns so late in the weekend would force them to restart their preparations from scratch, all with just a single hour of practice remaining before qualifying.
For now, the approach relies on instructions rather than rule changes. F1 race director Rui Marques has directed drivers on out laps to stay well clear of the racing line between Turns 16 and 18. Hamilton himself was handed a reprimand after FP2 for failing to heed that exact instruction while impeding Lawson.
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