New for the Spanish Grand Prix was a highly-anticipated technical directive, TD018, set to clamp down on the flexible wings that many teams have used to find pace.

Yet it was McLaren on pole position once again, prompting Lewis Hamilton to brand the new changes a “waste of money.”

Lewis Hamilton calls flexi-wing clamp-down “a waste of money”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

The biggest talking point heading into the Spanish Grand Prix centered around TD018, as the FIA moved to clamp down on flexible wings.

The new directive refined the ways the FIA tests load and deflection with a reduction in the permissible tolerances.

Dismissed earlier in the year, more latterly it was billed as a potential game changer.

With Oscar Piastri on pole from Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and George Russell in qualifying, it looks to be status quo despite the new tests.

More on the Spanish Grand Prix wing updates:

👉 Explaining F1’s phantom updates and why McLaren do have a new front wing after all

👉 Mercedes focus their efforts elsewhere, as there’s no new front wing on the menu

Ask Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari about the impact of the technical directive, though, and he’ll tell you — as he told media, including PlanetF1.com — that the impact is noticeable behind the wheel.

“The balance is definitely not as nice as what we had before,” Hamilton said when asked about any differences.

But he didn’t hold back in sharing a more uncharitable view of the technical directive.

“What a waste of money,” he said.

“It’s just wasted everyone’s money; it changed nothing. Everyone’s wings still bend. It’s just half the bending.

“And everyone’s had to make new wings and spend more money to make them. It’s just — it doesn’t make sense.”

According to Hamilton, he “wasn’t expecting” any big changes up at the front of the field as the result of these rules.

“I drove on the simulator, and it was pretty much exactly the same,” he said. “A little bit more oversteer in the high speed.”

Meanwhile at Alpine, Pierre Gasly admitted the new load tests made the weekend harder.

“We had to adjust a bit the setup around it,” he admitted.

“I think pretty much the case for some other teams; maybe some less than others.

“FP1 was a little tricky, and then after, I think we did very well to go around those differences. Very pleased to see; obviously it was a bit of a question mark on what it would do.”

Still, it’s clear that TD018 hasn’t thrown a monkey wrench into the running order as had been hoped.

Read next: Spanish GP: Piastri beats ‘cheeky’ Norris to pole position in McLaren qualy battle