Lewis Hamilton non sa gestire auto scadenti

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Lewis Hamilton, the Formula 1 record world champion, is struggling with the W15 in his last year at Mercedes, while teammate George Russell has been performing significantly better in the first three race weekends of the new season. “If the car is not good, then Russell drives better because he had to fight with that Williams for years, with a relatively poorly performing car,” believes former Formula 1 driver Marc Surer.

Reminder: Before his switch to Mercedes, Russell drove for three years in the underperforming Williams. Nonetheless, he achieved some highlights, especially with the second-place start at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. A year later, in his first year at Mercedes, the Brit directly celebrated his first win in Brazil, while teammate Hamilton remained winless throughout the season.

The last win of the seven-time world champion at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in December 2021 is now almost two and a half years ago. Surer believes that the recent lack of success is mainly due to the car. “Lewis has always driven the best cars. That means if the car doesn’t do what Lewis wants, then he has a problem,” says the Swiss. “And it’s the same situation at the moment.”

“And Russell can live with compromises, like Alonso,” praises Surer in the current video on the Formula1.de YouTube channel. “These are people who can simply adjust to the car. Lewis can’t do that. But remember: at the end of last year, when the car improved, the old Lewis suddenly appeared again.”

Surer: Hamilton is “maybe spoiled”

While Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher were sometimes able to win in underperforming cars, Hamilton’s performance is often limited by his equipment. “That is his weakness,” says Surer. “Maybe he is just spoiled. He has always been in the best team in Formula 3, Formula 2, and that means for him, it is completely normal for the car to behave exactly as he wishes.”

“And when he has to fight with the car, then he loses,” points out the former Formula 1 driver. “On the other hand, when the car is good, he surpasses himself. That’s the ability to practically dominate the opponent. At the moment when the car is exactly how you want it.”

At 39 years old, Hamilton is now one of the oldest drivers in the field – only Alonso, at 42, is older. Are his best years behind him? “Yes, of course,” believes Surer. “What we said about Alonso earlier will also be the case for him. Eventually, the pure speed will decline.”

Motivation boost with Ferrari signing?

However, the move to Ferrari next year could bring a change. “Surely, he will get a new motivation when he sits in the Ferrari because he naturally wants to prove to the world that he can win races with Ferrari,” predicts Surer. “But fundamentally, age is working against him.”

“Experience helps in the race, and if we know him, with his radio messages, he always provides extremely good information to the team,” recalls the Formula 1 expert. “It sometimes sounds like complaining, but nevertheless, the information is extremely important.”

“So his experience will surely be able to contribute to that,” Surer looks ahead to the upcoming season when Hamilton will be in the Ferrari. “But in terms of pure speed, I also think he will lose a few hundredths or tenths.”