One of the strongest attributes that has underpinned Lewis Hamilton’s 355 Grand Prix in Formula 1 is his consistency.
Mercedes and McLaren have helped Lewis Hamilton win seven championships and more than 100 races during his 17 years on the grid because they know what he’s able to deliver week in, week out.
However, Mercedes have been unable to provide or teammate George Russell with a car that they can rely on to drive in the same way across an entire weekend during the latest set of F1 regulations.
Both drivers can go from thinking the car is balanced perfectly to barely being able to handle the rear end from one session to another and that has meant achieving strong results across a season has been almost impossible.
Mercedes were dominant at the Belgian Grand Prix and Hamilton put in an iconic performance at Silverstone to win an emotional final race with Mercedes in front of his home fans.
Unfortunately, performances like the one Hamilton put in at Silverstone have to be compared to what happened at the Qatar Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion couldn’t match Russell’s pace and speaking on Formula 1’s post-race show, Jolyon Palmer spotted Hamilton do something that was ‘really unlike’ him.
Lewis Hamilton made mistake that was ‘really unlike’ him during the Qatar Grand Prix
Palmer was reflecting on Hamilton’s comments about wanting to retire the car and said: “Well, it was one of those things where every time you saw the graphic, Hamilton radio, you knew it was just going to be a demoralised Lewis, or he was going to be getting some information that’s going to put him down even more.
“It was never good news in the race for him, or even the weekend.
“And this is just one week after he had such a good drive in Vegas and he was hunting down his teammate to win.
“He shows flashes that he’s still there but this weekend has not been one of those weekends for him.
READ MORE: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
“Everything was going wrong and on top of that, he gets a drive-through penalty for pit lane speeding.
“Sounds like it was a little bit of a lapse in concentration, not putting the pit lane speed limiter on which is very unlike one of the most experienced drivers in the field.
“It just tops off a miserable weekend, he’s done with this year. It would have been nice for him to finish with Mercedes on a high.”
Toto Wolff committed to ending Lewis Hamilton relationship on a high at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Hamilton has a fantastic record in Abu Dhabi and even though a sixth victory at the track seems unlikely, this season has proved that anything can happen.
Speaking to the team’s official website ahead of their final race together, Toto Wolff said: “After 12 incredible years, we get ready to write the final chapter in our racing story with Lewis this weekend.
“It has been quite a journey. When we first started working together in 2013, we couldn’t have imagined what was to come.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage
“This weekend is a celebration. A celebration of everything that we have accomplished together. Lewis’ association with Mercedes goes back 26 years.
“Every lap of his career so far has been powered by the three-pointed star. Thank you, Lewis: for one final time, let’s do this.”
Hamilton’s issues in qualifying mean he’s always been forced to make up places in races rather than lead from the front, something he’s proved to be world-class at throughout his career.
The way he drove in Las Vegas proves he can still maneouver his way through a pack, but he would much rather be in a more comfortable position at the front of the grid.
Leave feedback about this