Through the paddock strolls Lewis Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton’s lack of form this season has been explained by former Formula One driver Thierry Boutsen, who also said that the team’s merit will determine if Hamilton wins a title with Ferrari.
Thierry Boutsen, a former Formula 1 driver and race winner, thinks Lewis Hamilton might be finding it difficult to give Mercedes “100 percent” in his last season.
Formula 1 racer Boutsen (1983–1993) has expressed doubts about Hamilton’s current performance, speculating that “maybe he’s only driving at 98 percent.”
The 66-year-old, who won three grand prix while competing for Williams, does not believe he is “phoning it in” in order to join Ferrari for the upcoming season.
He stated, “I don’t think he’s moving on from Mercedes,” in a PlanetF1.com interview. “However, I can understand that it’s a little bit harder to give it your all given his age and wealth of experience.
“Perhaps he’s only using his vehicle at 98%. We seen that when he questioned whether to allow George Russell to pass him during the race [in Japan]. He would have been trying like crazy to remain ahead of him a few years ago.
“Now, when things get bad like this one, he finds himself in a difficult situation and he just gives up, giving Russell an opportunity to outperform him and improve the team because he feels that, for whatever reason, he’s not in a position to perform as well as he could.”
During the first four rounds of the season, his less seasoned teammate has outperformed the seven-time drivers’ world champion. Hamilton allowed George Russell pass him to take eighth at the chequered flag and finished ninth at Suzuka.
This season, the 103-time race winner has only managed 10 points, which is his lowest return in his whole F1 career at this point in the season. Russell has produced more than twice as much, with 24.
“A driver cannot win a team championship.”
Boutsen argued that Hamilton might benefit greatly from a change of scenery.
He answered, “Yes, without a doubt,” when asked if moving to Ferrari will help the 39-year-old find his career again. Indeed.
“It will be fascinating to observe how he revitalizes himself and regains his winning attitude.”
Notwithstanding, the Belgian maintains that Hamilton won’t be sufficient to lead the Italian team back to championship triumph on his own, contending that a driver’s contribution to a team’s performance has diminished from what it may have in the past.
“I don’t think a driver can win a team championship,” he said.
“That was feasible in the 1970s, but that is no longer the case. throughout the 1980s. Perhaps to some extent in the 1990s, but it’s not feasible now.
If not, he would have defeated Verstappen both the previous year and this year, and he would have been the champion.
“Cars are now developed primarily by computers and engineers; drivers are no longer involved in this process.”
Ferrari has been Red Bull’s closest rival in 2024, and many believe that if Hamilton continues to improve this season, they will be able to challenge the current dominant force in Formula One.
“I don’t see myself as the driver who takes Ferrari to this level,” Boutsen continued.
“If the Ferrari returns to that level, it’s because they build a car that can win, and how much time will he have to assemble the team around him to build the car when he joins Ferrari at the end of this year?”
