Lewis Hamilton may welcome F1’s upcoming rule changes more than any other driver. Barring a dramatic turnaround, the history books will show that he was at odds with the ground-effect cars.
It hasn’t been all bad, of course. Hamilton was one of the standout performers in the 2023 season, when he finished third in the standings behind the dominant Red Bull duo.
And last year, he scored one of his most memorable victories at the British Grand Prix. It was a vintage Hamilton display in changeable conditions.
But the driver who holds all of F1’s most desirable records has been making the wrong kinds of history in recent years. 2022 was his first season ever without a win, and another followed in 2023.
Even though he ended his drought last year, he finished outside the top six of the world championship for the first time. He’s partly been a victim of circumstance, with first Mercedes and now (it seems) Ferrari falling short of expectations.
But relative to his teammates, Hamilton has never struggled this much. Perhaps his decline is simply age-related, but a report from AutoRacer has revealed the enforced changes to his driving style.
Lewis Hamilton can’t use his successful Mercedes technique in current generation of F1 cars
Charles Leclerc leads Hamilton 4-1 in the Grand Prix qualifying head-to-head, and much of his pace advantage comes mid-corner. He ‘adapts much better’ to the sensations in the cockpit.
Ferrari have repeatedly told Hamilton to brake earlier, so it may be that he’s carrying too much speed into the corner. The seven-time world champion has historically been ‘formidable’ on exits, where his management of the rear tyres comes to the fore.
However, he can’t use the same technique that was so successful at Mercedes. Ferrari need to tell him that implementing his ‘old preferences’ is just ‘not possible’ in this generation of machinery.
Ralf Schumacher says Hamilton can’t ‘cope’ with a nervous back end, but such instability seems to be much more common in this era. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen has been able to use his ‘instinctive ability’ to extract lap time even when the rear isn’t ‘planted’, and Leclerc has the same strength.
Ferrari are now seeing the same Lewis Hamilton that spiralled at Mercedes
Hamilton stayed late into the night in Saudi Arabia as he and his engineers worked toward a solution. There won’t be a quick fix for his current discomfort, but neither party is ready to write off the year, even if the 40-year-old may say otherwise in public.
Ferrari envisage a ‘day of resurrection’ at the Spanish Grand Prix, when McLaren and Mercedes are expected to suffer from the FIA’s front-wing flexibility clampdown. The Scuderia haven’t been exploiting the current loophole to the same extent.
Hamilton has tended to come alive when he has a shot at victory, like in the Shanghai Sprint, last year’s British GP or Las Vegas (when he charged from 10th to second to win driver of the day).
Jolyon Palmer says Hamilton is currently facing the same issue he had at Mercedes, with poor results leaving him ‘scratching his head’. An oversimplification it may be, but perhaps the best way to revive the confidence of the seven-time world champion is to make the car better all-round.
