F1 engineer pinpoints the moment Lewis Hamilton said he has ‘imposter syndrome’ at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton suffered a dismal race at the Qatar Grand Prix as he finished outside the points in 12th.

The seven-time world champion is in his final season with Mercedes as he will make the switch to Ferrari on a multi-year deal in 2025.

But his farewell season has not gone as he had hoped. Despite winning two races this season, Hamilton has been left on a ‘negative spiral’ in 2024 as he again struggles to find consistency with his Mercedes machinery in the ground-effect era.

The Brit is sat seventh in the drivers’ championship – his lowest position in the standings in his entire F1 career. Hamilton has managed 211 points to his teammate George Russell’s 235, who is just ahead of him in sixth.

Russell has comprehensively beaten Hamilton this season in qualifying and races, adding to his advantage by lining up on the front row behind Max Verstappen and finishing fourth at the Qatar Grand Prix. Hamilton could only manage sixth in qualifying and a puncture during the race left him down in 12th and out of the points.

‘Nobody’ at Mercedes can understand why Hamilton is struggling compared to Russell this season. With just one race to go, the 39-year-old is 24 points behind his teammate and is set to finish in his worst position ever in a world championship.

Ruth Buscombe Divey pinpoints the moment Lewis Hamilton felt he had ‘imposter syndrome’ at Mercedes

Hamilton has been vocal about the difficulties he is facing with his car this season, often stating that he just does not have the pace compared to his rivals.

But the W15 has had some moments of brilliance this season with four victories – Hamilton and Russell grabbing two each – and has been able to compete with the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull on occasion.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

This has led Hamilton to display ‘imposter syndrome’ at Mercedes, which F1 engineer and presenter Ruth Buscombe Divey discussed on the Fast and the Curious Podcast after talking with the seven-time champion around the time he announced his move to Ferrari. She says no one will know where the Brit is at the Maranello squad because of his conflicting emotions this year.

“I think we won’t truly know where Lewis is. He said himself like: ‘I’m getting too old, blah, blah, blah. I think I’ve lost it, don’t know why I’m so slow,’ she said.

“But then other days he comes in and he says: ‘Yeah, don’t know why I said that. I feel fine’ and I think that’s, it’s really human of him. [It’s] certainly how I feel, I think that’s how most of us feel.

“Sometimes we feel on top of the world like we’ve got this and sometimes we struggle with self-confidence and question whether or not we’re good enough.

“I had a conversation with him back in February and he had like imposter syndrome, and as well as me being like ‘what?’

“Deep down, it made me feel very good, because I was like if, literally the greatest driver of all time, statistically on paper, has imposter syndrome, then it’s completely fine for me to have imposter syndrome and actually we’re all just really similar.”

Can Lewis Hamilton win his final race with Mercedes in Abu Dhabi?

Hamilton has just one race left with Mercedes before he completes his sensational move to Ferrari, and the Brit will be eager to go out on a high at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Brackley-based outfit have nothing to fight for in the season finale as they are guaranteed to finish fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. Hamilton will subsequently be able to focus purely on getting the team a strong result.

The Silver Arrows have displayed some encouraging signs in the last few races, with the team scoring a one-two finish in Las Vegas. Russell followed that up with a solid weekend in Qatar, which will certainly give the tea confidence not just heading into Abu Dhabi, but also 2025.

Italian sensation Kimi Antonelli will replace Hamilton at Mercedes next season. The 18-year-old has had a meteoric rise up the ranks in motorsport and many eyes will be on the young talent as he fills the shoes of the sport’s winningest driver.