Lewis Hamilton says an incident with Daniel Ricciardo on the grid at the Japanese Grand Prix highlighted the F1's current rulebook being "very grey" and needing clarification in several areas.
This weekend the FIA has sought to clarify rules about moving under braking after numerous complaints about Max Verstappen's aggressive tactics. After a drivers' briefing in Austin, FIA race director Charlie Whiting issued a clarification on what is now considered fair racing.
Hamilton says another issue was raised at the drivers meeting around Ricciardo lining up with two wheels out of his grid slot before the start of the Japanese Grand Prix, something Mercedes had been told was not allowed. However, Charlie Whiting put it down to "common sense" as Ricciardo had been on the side of the grid with a damp patch.
When asked if he felt F1 was now over-regulated, Hamilton said: "I don't see the rules being an issue, it's just rules being very grey. It's what we discussed... Something as simple as we discussed the start of the last race. The rule has always been you've got to pull up into the grid spot, you can't be half car out, half car in. You can rotate a little bit within the grid slot but you can't have two wheels out and two wheels in, half a car width to the other side.
"However Daniel Ricciardo had done in the last race because water was in our side, so he placed the car two wheels out, two wheels in. Charlie said, 'I assumed you would use common sense and that's what you could do'. So for us it needs to be clear. Because if that's now allowed and common sense is allowed to prevail, all of us will just do that, cars will be staggered all down the grid. It's never been a rule."
Hamilton started that race in front of Ricciardo, on the same side of the track with damp patches. His slow getaway cost him a shot at victory and, though he said it would not have made a difference to his tardy start, Hamilton says he would have done the same as Ricciardo if he knew it was allowed.
"If I'd known actually in the last race, not that it would have made a difference, but I would have also put the car on... But we had asked, and they said no. So if it's inconsistent, some people will exploit, some people may not get penalties and some may not.
"So it just needs to be clear. Always have to be in your box, no questions asks, unless you ask and they say you can start outside the box -- you know what I mean?"
Hamilton also brought up the issue of yellow flags, which needed clarification earlier this season after Nico Rosberg set a pole lap in Hungary despite encountering double-waved yellows -- which everyone else responded too by aborted their laps.
"Just like with the yellow flags, you can have a small lift but it wasn't very, very clear. So people have got away with some things and some people have got penalised -- it should be the same all the time. The clearer you make it the easier it is, and we won't try and exploit it.
"You know it's a yellow flag, it's a lift, you know it's a double yellow flag, you cannot finish your lap. You can't just lift a little bit more and then accelerate faster through the corner where the danger zone is, and get away with it, because people have done it. So that's what it's about."