
The Hamilton record underlining F1's eternal struggle
Amid the chaos that ensued on raceday at Monza, it was easy to overlook the new F1 qualifying speed record achieved by Lewis Hamilton. The latest record claimed by the 2017-onwards cars is likely to stand for some time, but unlikely to last forever
Lewis Hamilton's 164.3mph lap to take pole position at last weekend's Italian Grand Prix was the latest example of Formula 1's internal battle: the competitors' search for speed and the rulemakers' attempts at keeping them in check.
To be fair to F1, the 2017 regulations were unusual in that they were designed to create faster cars, following criticism of the 2014-16 machines. They are now the fastest F1 cars ever, as shown by the various lap records that have fallen since then.
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