Lewis Hamilton has questioned the decision to resurface the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, feeling that as a result, the smoother surface means the track has lost some of its character.
The whole circuit was resurfaced following complaints about grip levels from MotoGP riders, but Hamilton says the resurfaced track is now ‘missing something’, with the Briton having experienced the track for the first time since the resurfacing was completed last week in the first pre-season test of the season.
The Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport driver may have ended the test with the quickest time, but he admitted he preferred the track with the bumps, as they gave the venue a lot more character.
“I’m not quite sure why they do resurface [certain tracks], I think it’s a waste of money in general,” said Hamilton. “The older the surface, the more character there is in a surface.
“If you smooth the thing out, you lose a lot of the character that a track like Barcelona has. I always relate it to like a house. A brand new house has got no character, but if you go and buy an old house, it’ll always have a little bit more history and a little bit more character.
“I like a track that is a bit more dated in terms of surface. You go to drivers’ briefings and there are constantly complaints of bumps, but you can manoeuvre around bumps and you can brake a bit off line, or you have to set the car up to deal with it better in terms of ride.
“But that’s where the character of a circuit is – you flatten it all out and it’s got a bunch of corners but it’s missing something.”
