[Heel n Toe]

Three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton says fans shouldn't expect "fantastic racing" under Formula 1's new-for-2017 regulations.

Hamilton has long voiced concerns that the new rules could make the racing worse in F1 – and the Briton appears to be even more convinced of that possibility following the three days of Barcelona pre-season testing so far.

"The issue is exactly the same as it was before," said Hamilton. "We’ve got all this downforce and we need more mechanical grip. We need better grip from these bigger tyres, and less downforce, whereas it’s gone the other way.

"Let's hope the racing is fantastic, but don't hold your breath, I would say."

While Pirelli's new tyres are designed to better cope with the dirty air from rival cars, Hamilton is certain that won't make it sufficiently easy to follow others on track.

"I don't think it was ever the case of the tyres going off [in dirty air]," he said. "It was always the aero, in the front wing and in the rest of the car.

"Now the turbulence is easily twice as powerful from the back of the car so this magnifies the issue we had before."
"We weren't listened to"

After Hamilton said on Monday that his first test run suggested his suspicions about the challenge of following rivals in 2017 were correct, Red Bull's Max Verstappen offered a different opinion, saying it felt no different to last year.