Lewis Hamilton Calls Out F1 for Replacing Classic Circuits with 'Worse' New Ones

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has called out the sport for replacing "classic" F1 circuits with new ones, "90 percent" of which are "worse."
New venues are being added to the calendar to meet the increasing demand for F1. However, with 24 races being the operational ceiling for the sport at present, old circuits will have to be dropped to make way for new ones.
While a rotational system for several European circuits has been planned to ensure they remain a part of F1, classic circuits, such as Imola, have been dropped from the 2026 F1 calendar to make way for a Grand Prix in Madrid. In addition, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya's contract expires after the race next year, raising questions about its long-term future in the sport.
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Ferrari answers questions in the media pen during the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 1, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain.
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Ferrari answers questions in the media pen during the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 1, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain.Hamilton admitted that losing the Barcelona circuit would be a shame. He said:
"I think ultimately losing any of the classics, and this is one of the classics, I think would be a shame, because as I said, it's a great city.
"There's a great following here in Spain, particularly since Fernando [Alonso] was here. As long as we have a race in Spain, that's what matters most.
"This feels like the home of Formula 1 in Spain. But it's okay to progress as a sport, and I know Madrid, as I said, is a great location."
The 44-year-old driver revealed his preference for older circuits, which are better to race on than most new ones that don't meet his expectations. He added:
"As long as they build a good circuit, which I'm less hopeful for - building new circuits is very, very hit and miss. 90 plus per cent of the time, it's worse.
"As long as it's a better circuit, or as good a circuit, I'm not bothered either way."
The dropping of Italy's Imola circuit from the calendar raised eyebrows, particularly since the circuit had allocated funds for the 2026 round, as reported by Newsweek Sports. However, Imola Mayor Marco Panieri has confirmed that efforts will be made to regain its lost spot in F1. He said:
"This is not the time for controversy, buck-passing and resignation. Now is the time for everyone to take responsibility and resume discussions for a return to the calendar. This is why in recent days, since May 26, we have asked the Government and the sports authority for an Institutional Round Table to precisely examine the terms and methods of support and joint work to bring the Formula 1 Grand Prix back to Imola.
"To those who live and love Imola, Emilia-Romagna and this Grand Prix, we say that in a moment in which it would be easy to give in to useless polemics and disappointment, it is instead the time for tenacity and increasingly constructive commitment from everyone. The game does not end here and up until now we have done things that only a few years ago seemed impossible.
"We continue to believe in it, with conviction and clarity, with the pride of a territory that, together with other institutional partners, has demonstrated its ability to dream big and concretely build opportunities."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Indianapolis Star

37 minutes ago

• Indianapolis Star

Will Buxton 1 on 1: Formula 1 regret leads to exploring America through calling IndyCar races

A onetime writer and lifelong devotee of Formula 1 who grew up in the United Kingdom, Will Buxton makes his living these days broadcasting IndyCar races on American television. Tabbed as the lead announcer for Fox Sports' inaugural season alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe, the excitable and gregarious 44-year-old has immersed himself in the history, prepared tirelessly and learned on the fly. Buxton, who had been to only three tracks on the NTT IndyCar Series schedule before taking the role, will reach the halfway point of his 17-race rookie season during the June 20-22 XPEL Grand Prix at Elkhart Lake's Road America. In a half-hour conversation with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Buxton talked about growing into the job, criticism, regrets, the season, the tracks — in particular the rural Wisconsin road course that comes next — and what he's trying to accomplish both on the Fox broadcasts and away from the booth. Here are highlights. Question: As the series hits the midpoint this weekend, how is your comfort level? Answer: I don't think you could ever be entirely comfortable doing play by play, I don't think you ever should be entirely comfortable doing play by play. There's always nerves. There's always massive tension. That expectation of the unknown is part of the allure. It's part of what keeps you coming back. We take what we do very, very seriously. We have a lot of fun doing it, but we all go into it with a huge amount of nerves every single broadcast, because you care. Can you characterize how your confidence level or however you want to describe it compares to before the season started? I wouldn't call it confidence. I think it's more comfort in terms of being more engrained with the championship, building more relationships, feeling more established and OK, we're not even half a season in, but that's the way the IndyCar Series is. It's incredibly open-armed and welcoming, and to have felt that has really aided my learning process and my ability, hopefully, to be able to bring out these characters and these stories and get people immersed in the wonder of IndyCar. Have you spent much time studying the broadcasts or does it pretty much need to be full steam ahead at this point yet? As difficult as it is and as horrible as it is to have to listen back to your own voice, yeah, every, every race, every week, every session, we all watch them back individually. We make notes, we bring them to bear at production meetings or private meetings and personal meetings that we have with the production crew, because we're always looking for ways that we can improve. And I think if we take the (St. Petersburg, Florida, season opener) and compare it to the St Louis race, (it's) a completely different broadcast, I think, a completely different sound, a very different look. And that goes not just for me, but for every member of the team. We have a brilliant director in Mitch Riggin who had never directed a single lap of racing, of auto racing, until we got to St. Pete. We have a diverse crew who have been involved in multiple sports, some of them in racing, some of them not in racing over their careers, and they've all been brought together to try to bring something fresh and something different to IndyCar. There's always things we can learn from (what) the fans are saying and the feedback that the fans are bringing to us. I think one of the most noticeable parts of that has been the pylon on the left-hand side of the screen that denotes who is where and what stage of the race they're in, what tires they might be running. That has changed every single race and I think that really exemplifies the constant desire to grow and to learn and to improve. Insider: Rising IndyCar star David Malukas knows 'I need to mature' on track, 'switch off' Team Penske rumors What you say is instantly out there forever. Are there a couple of things you said that you'd like to have back? About 98% of it. That's the addiction. That's what brings you back every time. You know there is no such thing as a perfect broadcast, there never will be, and the day that anybody achieves that, that's the day you quit, because it's never going to get any better. I started out in print. And I loved having the time to be able to craft and edit and amend and then get your article to a place where you are so happy with it, and then you send it in, and your editor ruins it. So to sort of be unedited is both freeing and also terrifying. You can try to polish it too much, and you can try to make it too perfect, but then it doesn't sound real, and you're not reacting in the moment. And the one thing that we want to do with this broadcast, and the one thing that we as a booth want to do, with myself and Townsend and James, is make the folks at home feel like they're sitting on the couch with us and that our reactions are their reactions and anytime something big happens, it's almost like you're jumping over the couch at them and putting your arm around the viewer and be like, 'Come on, my god, look at this, this is crazy,' and bring them in for the ride. Even the great calls, the legendary calls that go down in history and that we have, that resonate in our minds forever, the announcers who made those calls, they will still look at it and think, timing was a bit off, could have used a different word there. Insider: Why IndyCar's 1 million viewers on Sunday night is good ... but not as good as it looks How do you deal with critics? Anyone who likes to jump on social media and tell me that they don't think I'm good enough, trust me, that thought goes through my mind daily. You should always strive to be better and strive to improve. I find social media a challenge. There's been a very clear shift over the past decade from where it was as a place of community and interaction and trying to share joy and positivity to something that is now inherently negative and can be quite painfully toxic. And I find that a real sadness, because what it has done is it has made me intentionally kind of draw back from the interaction that I used to enjoy so much, and that interaction was all about bringing fans closer to the sport, but it's so difficult not to be affected by the tidal wave of negativity that I have kind of had to take a step back. But I do occasionally go on, and I do occasionally search my own name and have a bit of a giggle at some of the hideous stuff that is written, because you can't take it seriously. There's a great mantra out there, which is don't take criticism from people you wouldn't take advice from, and that's a good one to go along with. 'It's terrifying': Meet Will Buxton, next voice of IndyCar. (He's never attended an Indy 500.) I imagine Indianapolis was an outsized portion of your early preparation. How has the work or the focus changed since May? Actually, I've dedicated I'd say probably equal time to every race and to the championship and the history as a whole. Growing up in Europe, Formula 1 was the sport that I watched the most, and so a lot of its history and its major moments were things that just sort of seeped their way into my subconscious through osmosis. IndyCar is a championship I've always loved, but it wasn't as readily available in the European market as it was in the American market. And so the history and that side of the knowledge base that I need to have, I have had to work at that, and I will always have to work at that in order to get myself to that same place. The 500 was really interesting for me, and I did spend, obviously, quite a bit of time going into the history of it. The 500 is 110 years of history. You just have to do that much more to be that more aware of everything that has gone on there. But with every race weekend, I think you know, the first part for me is learning the recent history, certainly learning the history of the current drivers and what they've achieved on that track and how they might fare there. You've been to some of the tracks on the schedule, but not all, right? Pretty much every track for me is a new experience. I'd done the Milwaukee Mile (as a pit reporter). I'd been to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to do qualifying, but never the 500. I've been to Road America, that we're going to this week, but only as a guest of (racer-turned-broadcaster and fellow Englishman) David Hobbs when we were colleagues back in the NBC and Speed Channel days (of Formula 1 coverage in the United States), because he has a house out at Elkhart Lake. So been there, been to Siebkens (a famous local hotel/restaurant/bar with a long reputation among racers). Just once. Barber (Motorsports Park), for me, absolutely blew my mind. It was like an amalgamation of some of the most beautiful European racing circuits that I've ever visited. Going and doing a race under the lights on a short course oval like we did at (World Wide Technology Raceway outside) St. Louis was absolutely incredible. I'd been to Belle Isle before, so I've been to Detroit, but I'd never done the Detroit street race before, so it's lovely What I'm discovering is, and what I love about this year, is for my entire professional life, I've been used to traveling the world and experiencing different countries and different cultures. And I think it's true what people say about America, that every state and every city within those states you know, is almost like visiting a different country. … I'm loving that kind of cultural discovery of America. What were your impressions of the actual racetrack in your time at Road America? Hobbo actually took me out in a road car at Road America. And yeah, it's a tough track. The drivers all recognize it as a very, very tricky circuit. One of the ones they enjoy the most, obviously, is a circuit steeped in history, and one that you love to see still being on the calendar, because it's one of those ones that really means something to people. But I loved it. I loved driving around. I loved visiting Siebkens and the historical aspect of it. And I think that's what's so wonderful about this championship, going to your classic racetracks like your Laguna Secas and Long Beach and obviously Indianapolis and Road America and places like that, and then also discovering circuits that have only been on the calendar for a decade or less. We've got Arlington coming onto the calendar next year as a brand new race. I actually really enjoyed Thermal, and I know it gets bad press but I enjoyed the facility. I enjoyed the race. Because, again, I come from the world of Formula 1. We had drivers fighting their way up through the field. Will Power had an amazing race that day, and then we had a guy who had sat in third place for most of the race, came out 11 seconds behind the leader, and over the course of the next 10 laps, battled past the two dominant cars of the weekend and pulled off into the distance to win. That in Formula 1 terms is a generational race, but in IndyCar terms was seen to be somewhat below par, and that really taught me a very early lesson about what the expectations are in this championship for an exciting race. As the series has moved from place to place to place, have you had the opportunity to take in the surroundings, or has it been mostly hotel, booth and back? One of the big regrets of my 25 years in Formula 1 was that I don't think I took as many opportunities as I should have done to go out and explore and experience some of the amazing places that I got to visit. I went to China I want to say 12, 13, 14 times (covering Formula 1 as a journalist or broadcast host). I've never seen the Great Wall other than flying over it. Admittedly, the race was nowhere near it, but you'd think you'd probably try and take some time. We went to India a couple of times. I never got to the Taj Mahal. Those things, they're regrets, because you don't get to travel to those places all the time, and when you're traveling there for work, I probably should have taken a couple of days and got out and seen some of the great wonders of the world. I am trying to go and see everything I can. When we went to Barber, I made a point on my first day there, because I had about a half a day where I knew I wasn't needed to do anything, I went and explored the history of Birmingham, the civil rights movement, which is still very recent history of America ... and how important that is, not just to the history of this country, but to the present and the future of this country. And I'm trying to do that everywhere I go. I'm trying to take in the city, the area, the history, together, a fuller context of not just where I am in the moment and that city, but the country, which is one that I love. I've broadcast in America for such a long time, be it with Formula 1 or now with IndyCar, and I feel immensely privileged to be able to do so, but I don't think that you can properly broadcast to a nation unless you fully understand its history and its complex history and what makes the people and what makes the country what it is. So I'm trying to do that everywhere I go. 'Blown out of proportion': Nolan Siegel's radio rant no biggie for Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin After a wild night at World Wide Raceway, what are you looking for this weekend? St. Louis looked like it was going to be a Chevy weekend, and especially like it was going to be a Penske weekend. (Josef) Newgarden looked phenomenal. Obviously, (Will) Power took the pole. And then in the race itself, (Conor) Daly was so impressive. (Christian) Rasmussen was unbelievable. (Pato) O'Ward was in the hunt the entire night. And yet, here we are with not just another Honda win, but another Kyle Kirkwood win. And I think people have been sleeping on Kyle Kirkwood for too long. … And now he's emerged as the guy most likely to challenge Alex (Palou) for the title in 2025 and it's a wonderful story, and it's one I can't wait to tell. But can Penske find a way back? They're having an absolutely horrible season, and everything that could go wrong seems to be going wrong for them. So that's a fascinating narrative, and there are just so many young drivers looking for their breakthrough moment. (David) Malukas has been so impressive over the last few races, and I brought up Rasmussen, he's been mega as well, sixth at the Indy 500, third last time out in St. Louis. A wonderful breakthrough performance for PREMA Racing as well, with (Robert) Shwartzman finishing in the top 10 for them for the first time. There are so many great stories in the NTT IndyCar Series, and that's one of the things that brought me over from F1 was the fact that this, at its heart, is a drivers championship, where the driver makes the difference. And on any given Sunday, it doesn't matter where you start the race, you have a chance to win.

Yahoo

2 hours ago

• Yahoo

🔎 The Debrief as Flamengo stun Chelsea and Bayern beat Boca

It was another day of thrilling Club World Cup action with more European bloody noses and a Bayern Munich blitz. Here's what happened. You can sign up to DAZN to watch every FIFA Club World Cup game for free. What happened? 📝 After a lengthy weather delay in Orlando, Benfica eventually beat Auckland City 6-0 despite a spirited first half performance from the Kiwis. Advertisement Then it was on to a brilliant occasion in Philadelphia as Flamengo became the latest South American side to beat European opposition as they put Chelsea to the sword with a 3-1 win. LAFC's brief stint in the competition came to an end as they missed a stoppage time penalty to lose 1-0 to Esperance and exit at the first hurdle. And finally it was on to the headline occasion as Bayern Munich showed why they should be considered the favourites for the title with a 2-1 win over a dogged Boca Juniors. The victory clinched a last 16 spot for Vincent Kompany's men. Player of the day 🔥 Harry Kane may have been a little subdued in Bayern's hammering of Auckland last time out but against Boca, the England international was at his influential best. Advertisement Kane scored the opener with a classically cool finish before laying up Michael Olise for the Bavarian side's late winner. Stat of the Day 📊 Flamengo's brilliant win over Chelsea was reminiscent of another classic Club World Cup occasion. What this means 🤔 Flamengo are officially through to the last 16 and will likely finish top of Group D. That means the Brazilian side will, in all likelihood, face either Boca Juniors or Benfica with the Portuguese side taking on Bayern next whilst the South Americans have a virtual gimme against Auckland. Tuesday June 24 is the date for your diaries with that one. Advertisement Chelsea meanwhile will have to lick their wounds before taking on Esperance in a direct shoot-out for second place. What they said 🗣️ 📸 FRANCK FIFE - AFP or licensors 'I thought that the first half was really good, we should have been 2-0 or 3-0 up for sure; second half got tough, they [Boca] put us under a bit of pressure, they got the momentum once they scored - we kind of shifted it back in our direction, and it is great to get the goal and qualify now'. Harry Kane, Bayern Munich. 'I want to say sorry. To the club, the staff, my teammates, and all the fans watching, I let you down. Another red card… And honestly, I'm so angry at myself. I work hard every day to help the team not to put us in this kind of situation." Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea. Advertisement "We played a good game. The first half was very hot, but we created enough opportunities to be winning by more than one goal. Having more than two hours during half-time allowed us to analyse the game in more detail and position the midfielders and centre-backs in a way that we weren't doing, so they could be closer to the opponent and win the ball. We changed players to freshen up the team because it was a really difficult game. It was 6-0, we could have scored two more goals, but it's the right result." Bruno Lage, Benfica. What's next? 👀 We've got four more games today, starting with a fascinating clash between Mamelodi Sundowns and Borussia Dortmund. Then it's Inter's turn to face Japanese giants Urawa Red Diamonds. Only a win will do the Nerazzzurri after their draw last time out. Advertisement Fluminense face Ulsan with the South Koreans looking to avoid become only the third side to exit with a defeat. Then the final match of the day sees Mexican club Monterrey face River Plate at the Rose Bowl. 📸 Megan Briggs - 2025 Getty Images

USA Today

6 hours ago

• USA Today

FIFA Club World Cup has first sellout as Bayern Munich beats Boca Juniors in Miami

MIAMI GARDENS, FL – It took six days and 24 matches, but the FIFA Club World Cup finally secured its first sellout of the tournament. A sea of singing and chanting fans clad in the yellow and blue of Argentine club Boca Juniors serenaded Hard Rock Stadium, while fans of German giants Bayern Munich, wearing red, were scattered among them on Friday night. The official number: 63,587. They got to see the first win by a European club against a South American side in the Club World Cup, too. Michael Olise broke a deadlock in the 84th minute, English captain Harry Kane also scored (18') and Bayern beat Boca Juniors 2-1. European soccer fans will wake up Saturday morning breathing a sigh of relief seeing the scoreline. CONMEBOL teams had won six matches with three draws and zero losses against UEFA clubs before the Bayern-Boca match. Bayern has clinched a trip to the Club World Cup knockout stage, leading Group C with six points. Portuguese side Benfica is second with four points. Boca is in third with one point, while Auckland City (New Zealand) will be eliminated with zero points through two matches. All four clubs play their final group-stage match Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET: Boca will meet Auckland in Nashville, while Bayern will face Benfica in Charlotte, North Carolina. The biggest Club World Cup wins against the Europeans were by Brazilian teams. Flamengo beat Chelsea 3-1 in Philadelphia earlier Friday, while the biggest upset was Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo edging Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in Los Angeles on Thursday. Lionel Messi and Inter Miami scored the first victory for a North American club against a European side when they beat Portugal's FC Porto 2-1 on Thursday in Atlanta. Al-Hilal also became the first Arab and Asian team to score a point against a European side, when they drew 1-1 with Real Madrid in Miami on Wednesday. Hard Rock Stadium has hosted three of the top four attended Club World Cup matches. The Real Madrid match with Al-Hilal drew 62,415 fans. The tournament opener between Messi's Inter Miami and Egyptian club Al Ahly drew 60,927 fans last Saturday. The most attended Club World Cup match was Paris Saint-Germain's 4-0 win against Atlético de Madrid at the Rose Bowl Stadium near Los Angeles. FIFA said in a press release Thursday the first round of the group stage in the tournament (16 matches) yielded 556,369 fans. FIFA has been criticized for empty seats at Club World Cup matches during the first week of the tournament. There's been debate over whether NFL-sized stadiums were the right choice for games instead of soccer-specific venues with lesser capacities. Choosing Hard Rock Stadium instead of Inter Miami's Chase Stadium led to 114,412 more fans during the first three games held at the home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins. Three matches at the Rose Bowl near Los Angeles led to 108,629 more fans, than if matches were held at Los Angeles FC's BMO Stadium, FIFA shared with USA TODAY Sports. It's also a stress test for the venues World Cup matches will be played at next year. Hard Rock Stadium, Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, Seattle's Lumen Field and MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, are hosting Club World Cup and World Cup matches. SoFi Stadium – home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Chargers – will host World Cup games instead of the Rose Bowl.