He is widely regarded as one of the sport's best ever champions, not merely in terms of his on-track skills, but rather his rock 'n' roll, A-list celebrity lifestyle.

However, while the sport's new owners, much like former supremo Bernie Ecclestone, appreciate the value of 'Brand Hamilton', the Briton has launched an amazing pre-season, pre-testing, pre-launch attack on F1 describing it as "out-dated".

"I don't feel Formula One is winning," he told BBC Radio 5 Live, "it hasn't been for a long time.

"It's to do with rule changes," he continued, "it's to do with not helping or not engaging the fans enough.

"There is still a great following in Formula One, and I'm excited for the new owners that have come in, I'm just hoping they do something new.

"New blood, new ideas, new ways of engaging the fans in a unique way," he enthused. "Because F1 is a bit outdated, if you look at other sports they're further ahead in the entertainment factor. Formula One is catching up, but they have a lot of catching up to do."

Of course, many will say the Briton is biting the hand that feeds him, the sport that has made him a household name and wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. Indeed, some may say that Hamilton is part of the problem.

One of the biggest gripes the Mercedes star has is one that he shares with Ecclestone, the sound of contemporary F1... or rather the lack of it.

"I've said time and time again that I think it's terrible," he admitted. "Most people are like, 'oh, it's not that bad'. But my opinion is that I think it is.

"When I first went to a grand prix at Spa in 1996, I got into the paddock and Michael came past in the V10," he continued, referring to Michael Schumacher's first season at Ferrari, "and it literally rumbled my ribcage. I was hooked even more than I was when I'd watched it on TV. It was like a fighter jet... I was like 'what the hell?'

"It's not the only thing the fans love, but it's an addition to the smell, to the roar of awesomeness that Formula One is. Take that away and, jeez, it's just sad to see the cars come by now, sound-wise."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Daydah, 23/02/2017 9:04

"How can new fans be attracted when, to the casual observer, the cars cannot be identified? There are no clearly visible competition numbers. The liveries may be stunning in the studio, but on TV or at speed they are just a muddled mess. Ditto the helmet colours where artwork is more important than identity. In car shots can only be identified by the commentary. There is a clear space in front of the dash where car and driver could be named for the onboard camera. The nature of the sound has been covered at length. Who cares about ultimate speed. It's close racing we want. F1 has indeed lost its way and is still wandering deeper into the wilderness."

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2. Posted by Kkiirmki, 23/02/2017 4:48

"Rather ironic, as these "rule changes" have enabled him to win two world driver titles with Mercedes"

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Hamilton bemoans "out-dated" F1

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