Lewis Hamilton is not convinced the regulations agreed for 2017 will solve what he sees as the main issue with current F1 cars: weight.
Teams have agreed to pursue a set of regulations with wider cars, wider tyres and more downforce in order to make the cars roughly three seconds a lap faster. The final set of regulations are due on April 30, but the first details of car dimensions and weight have been released.
The weight of F1 cars has been steadily rising in recent years from 595kg in 2008 to 642kg with KERS and the old V8s by the end of 2013 and on to 692kg with the introduction of the current V6 turbo hybrids in 2014. Last year weight was upped to 702kg following concerns about drivers trying to shed too much of their own weight and will go up again to 722kg (plus the added weight of the new tyres) next year.
Hamilton says the added weight is one of the main reasons the cars are no longer as exciting to drive and why Pirelli has struggled to produce high performance tyres in recent years.
"I think over the last few days I'm driving these tyres and thinking why is it so difficult and what are the physical challenges for Pirelli and why is the car sliding in the way it does, and I just realised that when I got into Formula One the car was 605kg or 610kg and now it's 100kg heavier," he said.
"I think that makes a big big difference. They don't have to change the regulations much to make it go faster, just make the cars lighter. They are just super heavy."
On being told the cars would be even heavier next year, Hamilton said: "I think that's just ridiculous personally. They were great at 600kg, nice and nimble and it was easier for the tyres and we had less tyre blowouts.
"The heavier you make the tyres, the more force there is on the tyres and the tyres will feel even worse. It just puts more stress on Pirelli to produce better tyres and then more downforce ... I have my opinions about it."
Asked if all F1 needed was a bit of competition and not new rules, Hamilton said: "I don't think the regulations are fine, even if there was five teams battling. I like a different kind of car, but I don't have all the answers, I just have a preferred type of car.
"I don't want to get into it because I'll just cause a stir and get in trouble. But I love a V12 and wider tyres. I saw a picture the other day of a Ferrari when the sidepods were super low and it must have been mid-80s bodywork. It just looked so cool, the wishbones were really wide -- those were the days.
"I just loved the way the cars looked then. And with a stick shift, those are the days that I liked, but obviously we will never be there again. 2008 was a great year when we were fighting against another team and obviously since then we've had some great battles, but we need more of them. Whatever decisions they have been making have not been working for some time."