Lewis Hamilton says Formula 1 needs to change if the sport is to conquer the United States of America.
The reigning world champion, who can retain his title this weekend in Texas, believes the sport should go back to basics as the racing no longer feels natural.
The rulebook will be ripped up for 2017 and Hamilton, who has spent much of this year out front on his own, believes it is vital that wheel-to-wheel racing returns to F1.
"It does need to change," Hamilton said in Thursday's press conference ahead of this weekend's United States GP. "For example with the DRS [drag reduction system] it doesn't feel organic, it doesn't feel like natural racing.
"I want to see wheel-to-wheel racing, it needs to be like karting was. Karting is racing wheel-to-wheel and overtaking and we need to make F1 like that. I don't know how they will do it, but it needs to be a lot different to how it was in the last 20 years."
As F1 continues to try and establish itself in the USA against the major sports of American Football, basketball and baseball, the home fans will have an American driver to cheer on for the first time since 2007 this weekend in the form of Alexander Rossi. However, the 24-year-old is likely to spend his weekend at the rear of the field in his Manor car - a prospect which is unlikely to capture the imagination of the fans.
Rather than tackle the established sports head on, though, Hamilton feels F1 should trade on the stardom of America's most prominent sportsmen.
"It is difficult for people to get attached here in America," he added. "They are crazy about NFL and NBA and they are sports that you can just go buy the equipment, buy a ball or a racket and go and play in the street.
"I was very lucky my dad bought me a kart and we drove it around a DIY store car park for a while. But there is not that accessibility for kids to say 'hey I want to go karting'. You need to plan it weeks in advance or save up.
"Maybe Formula 1 can start to engage more with the NFL or the other sports and brands that you have in the States. I don't know if I have ever seen an NFL star come to a race other than a friend I had once. But there has never really been anyone from the other kinds of sports come and see what F1 is about and maybe bring some attention to it.
"As you can see I am doing as much as I can, but I am only one person."
As downforce levels have increased in F1, so too has turbulent air making it ever more difficult for cars to follow one another. One proposal for 2017 was to simplify the front wings to a single element but Hamilton doubts the answer is as simple as that.
"You get turbulence behind a plane and you get turbulence behind a car," he said. "All these vortexes bouncing off the car, whatever rule they change, to keep downforce it is always going to be like that.
"They need to do something when you get close to another car and the car has to have the same amount of downforce no matter how close you get. I don't know how they would do that, but that would be neat."
One immediate change Hamilton thinks would help improve the show is an increase in testing, particularly for Pirelli, who are set to remain as F1's sole tyre supplier.
"It is pointless saying what we would like when they can't do any testing," stressed Hamilton.
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