Lewis Hamilton reveals F1 BOREDOM at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Netherlands, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Hamilton reveals F1 BOREDOM at Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton won six of his seven F1 titles at Mercedes

Kevin McKenna

Friday 30 August 2024 09:12 Updated: 13:53

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Lewis Hamilton has admitted he has often experienced boredom during his time at Mercedes.

The Brit has collected six of his seven Formula 1 world titles whilst driving for the Silver Arrows, cementing his status as one of the greatest drivers of all time.

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However, having endured a frustrating few seasons following his last title win in 2021, Hamilton made the decision to join rivals Ferrari from 2025 in a move which shocked the sporting world.

Lewis Hamilton will make the move to Ferrari in 2025

Hamilton clinched an emotional victory at this season's British Grand Prix

Hamilton: Mercedes' F1 dominance was boring

Despite making an underwhelming start to his final campaign at Mercedes, the 39-year-old has enjoyed a recent upturn in form, clinching race wins at Silverstone - his first since December 2021 - and Spa.

His eighth-place finish last weekend in Zandvoort, however, suggested that there may be more disappointing days to come over the final nine races of the year.

Though Hamilton would like to rediscover some of the form which brought so much success earlier in his career, he has admitted that there was a substantial downside to being the sport's dominant force.

Speaking on the Performance People Podcast, the ex-McLaren star revealed that he would often prefer fighting from further back on the grid, rather than starting from pole.

"It’s so boring," he said when quizzed on why that was the case. "Honestly, when you’re starting from first, leading the race all the way through then winning, it’s really boring compared to fighting from the back and racing.

Hamilton continues to enjoy the thrill of wheel-to-wheel racing as he fights his rivals

"[Being at the front] isn’t racing. You are fighting a time gap behind you so you have to psyche yourself into thinking you’re fighting the car ahead - you have to be chasing something.

"But it’s different when you have cars ahead of you, especially when it’s on a track where you can overtake like Austin or Silverstone for example.

"You’re trying to discover different lines, utilising the tyres, the wind, all these different things.

"When you get someone in a battle, that’s the most rewarding experience as a driver."

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Silverstone British Grand Prix Italian Grand Prix