Of the seven drivers to have scored multiple wins in 2024, Lewis Hamilton is placed the lowest out of all of them.
Despite that and the qualifying misery that he has suffered – he trails teammate George Russell by less than 24 points in the constructors’ championship.
Mercedes will have stopped sharing sensitive information with him at a certain point, but he has still managed to deliver, even when the car won’t be being developed in his direction anymore.
So, despite his recent struggles, including calling himself ‘slow’, Hamilton heads to Ferrari for 2025 in a good position – joining a team with a winning car, while he clearly has some juice left himself.
Lewis Hamilton’s ‘wild’ approach demands ‘too much’ from Mercedes car
As a seven-time champion, it’s normal for Lewis Hamilton of all people to be frustrated when a car is not winning, or at least in contention to.
On countless occasions this season, he has been left to watch his teammate perform what seem to be near miracles to him in what has been a car he cannot gel with over one lap.
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It’s part of the reason why Russell has dominated the qualifying head-to-head between the two, which sits at 18-5.
Speaking to F1-insider.com’s YouTube channel, Ralf Bach believes that Hamilton is pushing and demanding too much from the German manufacturer.
“I think his problem is that he either wants too much from the car and is too wild [in] drives or these updates that have brought the Mercedes really consistently into the performance window.
“[Maybe the upgrades] are simply suited better to Russell’s driving, that could be an explanation.”
Why Hamilton desperately needs a reset for 2025
It has been over three years since Hamilton has been in contention for anything remotely meaningful now, back when he lost the 2021 title to Max Verstappen at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
That’s a lot of time to waste for someone whose best years are probably behind them and fading away fast.
Taking a look at another example – remember just how revitalised a younger Fernando Alonso was when he joined Ferrari after his title-winning Renault team slumped in the late 2000s.
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Although he didn’t win much of note, their car was never as strong as it is now, and yet the Spaniard still found a way to be in contention during two title finales.
So watch out for Hamilton, because a new team and atmosphere could be exactly what he needs to be Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris’ biggest nightmare again.
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