Lewis Hamilton suffered yet another dismal outing in the penultimate race of the 2024 Formula 1 season – his last with Mercedes.
The seven-time champion was hit with two penalties and suffered a puncture en route to 12th place at the Qatar Grand Prix.
He admitted during the weekend that he was ‘slow’ following a poor qualifying performance, being beaten yet again by teammate George Russell.
Jumping the start and then speeding in the pit lane didn’t help his race much either – but it leaves him with one final shot to say goodbye the way he has dreamt of.
Peter Windsor labels Lewis Hamilton’s Qatar race ‘terrible’
Looking at Hamilton’s season, he has made errors, but he has shown in glimpses that he still has plenty of pace and the capability to win races.
His main struggles have been in qualifying, but his rather messy Sunday in Qatar may be a cause for concern heading into 2025.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Peter Windsor shared a negative reflection of the Brit’s race in the Middle East.
“Just a terrible, terrible race. Another very bad race for Lewis Hamilton. It’s odd isn’t it, because you would imagine that as I said yesterday, you’d imagine that Carlos Sainz would be thinking,” he said.
“And we’d be seeing it in his driving ‘This is my second last and now coming up my last race for Ferrari and I’ve got to go to Williams next year’.
“Whereas Lewis would be thinking, ‘Mega, had a great time at Mercedes, I’m going to Ferrari next year’ and he’d never be driving better. Totally relaxed, enjoying every minute of it. Yet, not there at all.”
Can Hamilton rediscover his form in 2025?
Ahead of his massive move to Ferrari for 2025, it’s clear that Hamilton needs to rediscover his racing mojo and find a way of returning to his excellent form.
He has a very steep task ahead of him to establish himself within one of the greatest teams in the sport’s history, as he races towards the age of 40.
But this might be the reset that Hamilton needs after 11 years with the Silver Arrows and a few years of disappointment.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton made one plea to Mercedes during unheard team radio at the Qatar Grand Prix
At his age, there’s no guarantee of that though – both Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo are examples of that, so he will need to work hard at a return.
Who knows how it will go, but everyone will soon forget this blip if he manages to win an eighth world championship next season.
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