Mercedes F1 to blame for BRUTAL Lewis Hamilton treatment

lewis hamilton, mercedes, chinese grand prix, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Mercedes to blame for BRUTAL Hamilton treatment

Lewis Hamilton has come under fire for his recent F1 performances

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 16 November 2024 12:57 Updated: 18:52

A lot has been debated about Lewis Hamilton’s performances in Formula 1 of late, with some claiming that the champion is ‘past his prime’.

It's easy to see how one could come to this conclusion, with the once imperious Mercedes star struggling to make the top ten in recent races.

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Hamilton’s 2024 season stands in stark contrast to his previous years in the sport, with his deficit to team-mate George Russell forcing critics to blame the champion himself rather than Mercedes for his struggles.

Following the Brazilian GP, the likes of Jeremy Clarkson and Bernie Ecclestone have all brutally commented on the decline of the legendary driver.

However, Ferrari would be inclined to disagree after signing the champion for 2025 and beyond, which leads to one fundamental reason for Hamilton’s poor performances.

It is Mercedes’ performance that is the cause of Hamilton’s current F1 struggles, not the driver himself.

Lewis Hamilton has suffered a series of poor results since the US GP

What about George Russell?

Hamilton’s most recent results in F1 are not encouraging for the champion, after he crashed out during the opening stages of the US GP and finished P10 in Brazil.

The latter of these races attracted the most criticism from Hamilton, who labelled Brazil as a ‘disaster of a weekend’ and the ‘worst the car has ever been’.

Despite Mercedes' issues, Russell has managed to perform on occasions Hamilton has not, fuelling the narrative that the champion is past his best.

Whilst Russell should be commended for beating his seven-time championship-winning team-mate, particularly in qualifying, it is also important to acknowledge the circumstances in which he has achieved this.

The Brit joined Mercedes in 2022, following the regulation changes that hindered the performance of the once-dominant team.

Therefore, Russell is only used to a sub-par Mercedes, and any car would have been an improvement from a Williams that struggled to score a single point during his tenure with the team.

Meanwhile, Hamilton competes in his third decade of F1, in a Mercedes that is a shadow of the machine that earned him six world titles.

Russell is also Mercedes’ future and will be more committed to extracting the maximum from his car, whereas Hamilton’s mind is undoubtedly elsewhere.

George Russell has largely outpaced Hamilton this season

Lewis Hamilton and the Ferrari effect

In a discussion regarding Hamilton’s performance in 2024, it would be remiss not to assess the impact of him joining Ferrari.

If they continue on their current trajectory, Ferrari will be one of the top competitive teams in 2025 and may have the potential to win a world title, which of course makes them Mercedes’ direct rival.

As a future incumbent of their rival team, Mercedes are potentially shielding important data from Hamilton, and this lack of insight into the car may have translated onto the track.

Furthermore, Hamilton's commitment to the team is not going to be on the same level as it was ten years ago, especially because he has decided to leave at the end of the year.

By joining Ferrari, Hamilton has the chance to recover lost motivation and rediscover his competitive spirit in F1.

Can Lewis Hamilton rediscover his fighting spirit at Ferrari?

As Hamilton ages, he will undoubtedly lose the edge he possessed earlier in his career, but those who are quick to write off Hamilton are in denial of his ability - just look at his performance in Silverstone!

Mercedes' performance decline has exposed Hamilton's flaws to critics, and they have rapidly jumped on the bandwagon to discredit a driver that has achieved so much in the pinnacle of motorsport.

Yet, these critics are also forgetting something fundamental, and that is whilst Hamilton may not be in his prime anymore, in his current form he still possesses more talent and experience than most of the F1 grid.

Mercedes' pace is doing an excellent job at hiding this fact, but once Hamilton is in a Ferrari capable of winning races these critics will have a shakier foundation to build their arguments on.

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Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography

Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Formula 1 Bernie Ecclestone Brazilian GP Jeremy Clarkson