F1: After bike ban, top F1 drivers will no longer do track walk on GP weekends

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Formula One drivers and team members have been banned from riding bikes on the track walk.

The pre-weekend track walk has become a tradition in the sport and allows drivers and engineers to discuss the few days ahead of them.

More and more, however, drivers have been seen riding bikes or scooters around the track, which has now been called off with a letter from the FOM.

Lewis Hamilton in particular could be seen regularly bolting round the tracks on an electric scooter.

The notice was received during the Bahrain Grand Prix on the opening weekend of the season.

The letter read: ‘To clarify and to avoid future misunderstanding, the use of any means of transport (bicycles, e-bikes, scooters, e-scooters, etc) is forbidden during the time window stated as ‘Team Track Walks’ on the Event Timetable.

‘No exceptions will be allowed. This decision has been agreed with the FIA.’

Hamilton previously referred to race walks as a ‘pointless exercise’ given the fact the bends ‘look different when you approach them at high speed’.

The British driver also said that he would prefer to ‘keep his energy’ for the event itself.

Max Verstappen, meanwhile, once said he couldn’t be bothered with track walks and that he would rather spend the time in bed.

Charles Leclerc has said he will no longer take part in the walks and skipped this weekend’s in Saudi Arabia.