Lewis Hamilton's suggestion to change the Marina Bay Street Circuit to give drivers a better chance of overtaking has been shut down by a Formula One rival. Hamilton shared details from a private conversation with Max Verstappen after the sprint race in Singapore, in which he urged authorities to make changes to the track. The Brit was asking for a longer straight to be introduced, which he believed would turn the Marina Bay into a 'great racing circuit'.
But despite Hamilton and Verstappen seemingly in favour, it hasn't gained the full backing of everyone. Liam Lawson is one of the naysayers, with the Racing Bulls driver telling GPblog: "Oh, I quite like it [as it is], to be honest. The racetrack's always been super fun to drive in, first, qualifying. Ultimately, in the race, obviously, it's hard to overtake. But it's always been hard to overtake."
Lawson defends current layout
Adding: "And I think, to be honest, it's one of the things, about these cars, it's not easy to overtake. Earlier in the year, there was a lot of overtaking. When you come to a race like this, there is not that much difference in terms of straight-line performance. There are speed differences, but everyone is going at the relatively same speed, so it's very hard to race."
It's a debate that has split opinion, with Hamilton having previously remarked: "I was just saying to Max, I think they need to change the track to maybe a longer straight somewhere in order to allow us to, for it to be truly a great racing circuit. Because I think it has the potential to be a great racing circuit. It's a great track to drive over a single lap in qualifying, but there literally just isn't many... There's like one place, I guess, really, that you could potentially get close to overtake."
Hamilton calls for circuit adjustments
"But then in other places, like 16, the crest in the middle of the track, sparks come up because the track isn't particularly flat. I don't know if it's for the rain or whatever it is, but I think there's some adjustments that can be made to make this 100 per cent a great circuit."
While Verstappen himself said: "I think we shouldn't host a Sprint where you can't pass. You know, you have tracks where you can race and can overtake, but of course, in some places you cannot pass, and we are going to have Sprints there also next year."
Season nears conclusion
After back-to-back race weeks, there is a weekend off for drivers, with the action returning at the end of the month. There are just six races of the season left, with Drivers' Championship leader Kimi Antonelli closing in on a maiden Formula One title.
