F1 News: Lewis Hamilton 'SPOILT' claims former F1 star

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Saudi Arabia, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Hamilton 'SPOILT' claims former F1 star

Marc Surer has an idea of what might be behind Lewis Hamilton's current difficulties

Yara Elshebiny

Friday 5 April 2024 07:57 Updated: 10:23

A former F1 driver suggested Lewis Hamilton has been 'spoilt' throughout his F1 career.

Lewis Hamilton's swansong at Mercedes hasn't quite gone according to plan this season. After so many years dominating with the Silver Arrows, Hamilton has found himself outpaced by his team-mate, George Russell, in the first three races of the 2024 campaign.

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The struggles haven't stopped there, though. Mercedes, once a force to be reckoned with, have fallen on hard times as a time. They failed to finish the race in Australia after a double DNF, marking their first such finish since 2021.

With a move to Ferrari on the horizon for 2025, questions are swirling about Hamilton's ability to adapt and recapture his championship form, especially considering his winless streak since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

While some might point to the new regulations or simply a decline in Hamilton's skills, a surprising source suggests another reason for his struggles.

What is behind Hamilton's F1 struggles?

Lewis Hamilton hasn't won a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP

Speaking on the Formula1.de YouTube channel, former F1 driver Marc Surer believes Hamilton's time spent in dominant machinery has hindered his ability to adapt to a struggling car.

"If the car is not good, then Russell drives better, because he has had to struggle for years with this Williams with a car that is relatively poorly positioned," he said.

"Lewis has only ever driven the best cars. That means that if the car doesn’t do what Lewis wants, then he has a problem - and that’s exactly how it is again at the moment."

Surer even went further, suggesting the Brit struggles to adapt to a car that doesn't perfectly suit him, unlike some other greats of the sport.

"And Russell can live with compromises, just like [Fernando] Alonso," he continued. "These are people who can simply adapt to the car.

"Lewis can’t do that. But remember, at the end of last year, when the car got better, the old Lewis was suddenly back again."

Hamilton has been struggling with Mercedes recently

The former driver also claims that Hamilton's lack of experience with underperforming cars is a significant deficit for the seven-time world champion.

"That is precisely his weakness, that he is perhaps simply spoilt," he stated.

"He's always been in the best team in Formula 3 and Formula 2, which means it's completely normal for him that the car behaves exactly the way he wants it to."

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes George Russell