The seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton is in his final season at Mercedes, where he presently teams up with fellow Brit George Russell. Hamilton has been called “not as mature” as his teammate.
Lewis Hamilton’s former Mercedes engineer has accused him of lacking competitiveness when he believes he cannot win a race.
The seven-time Formula One champion will join Ferrari in 2025, ending his 11-year relationship with the Silver Arrows at the end of the current season.
Having won two of the last three races, including the Belgian Grand Prix, when Russell was disqualified, the 39-year-old is undoubtedly having a fantastic last season with Mercedes.
After two seasons without a victory during Red Bull’s dominance on the track, Hamilton went through a 946-day stretch without adding to his record number of race victories. This is when he returned to winning form.
Hamilton’s aerodynamics engineer at Mercedes, Philipp Brandle, made the shocking revelation that the racing legend “lets himself go a bit” when he is not in contention to win a race.
“I think what always sets him apart a little, both positively and negatively, is that when he knows he has a chance of winning something, he can drive at 200 per cent,” he said to the German outlet Motorsport-Total.
It’s sad that he lets himself go a little if he feels that the vehicle isn’t doing well and that he has no chance of winning the race. He drives like no other, in my opinion, if he spots even the smallest opportunity.”
Although praising Hamilton’s innate skill and drawing comparisons to Michael Schumacher, Brandle asserted that the British driver lacks the same level of maturity as Russell and former teammate Nico Rosberg when it comes to analysing the car’s data and technology.
“What characterises Lewis is simply his incredible feel for the car,” he said. “I would say that he is maybe not as developed as other drivers, like Nico Rosberg or now maybe George Russell, in terms of the data and technology.
However, he possesses an amazing sense of feel for the vehicle, similar to what Michael Schumacher was rumoured to possess at the time. “He feels the car like no other, so if it feels like a screw is loose somewhere at 320 kilometres per hour, he can feel it right from the start.”
There has been much conjecture on Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes, with young talent Kimi Antonelli expected to make his Formula One debut alongside Russell next season. The Italian is scheduled to participate in a practice session for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Friday, using his home circuit.
