Lewis Hamilton F1 News: Huge LOSS revealed after Mercedes exit

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

F1 News & Gossip

Huge Hamilton LOSS revealed after Mercedes exit

Lewis Hamilton's performances suffered in 2024

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 16 December 2024 20:59 Updated: 22:51

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A huge loss for Lewis Hamilton during the 2024 Formula 1 season has been revealed following his Mercedes exit.

The seven-time world champion’s final season with Mercedes delivered mixed results, where he enjoyed a spectacular victory at Silverstone, but was frequently left frustrated with the W15 performance and his own pace.

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Hamilton’s qualifying performances also came under scrutiny this year, as the 39-year-old was bested by his team-mate George Russell on 19 occasions across the gruelling season.

Furthermore, the younger Brit managed to get the better of Hamilton overall in his final season with Mercedes, with Russell finishing ahead of the 39-year-old and sixth in the drivers’ standings.

George Russell has been faster in qualifying than Lewis Hamilton in 2024

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Following a disappointing qualifying performance in Qatar, Hamilton stated that he was no longer fast, which has caused concern upon his arrival at Ferrari.

In an interview with Sport1, former F1 driver and Sky Germany pundit Ralf Schumacher revealed the reasons for the huge deficit between Hamilton and Russell, and the areas where the champion lost out in 2024.

"A young driver has more capacity and understands better how to adapt to a car. He understands better what the limits of a car are," Schumacher said.

"You have to understand it like this: A car gives feedback about where the limit is. A young driver can work better with an engineer.

"An experienced and successful driver like Lewis was successful in cars that were mostly built according to other rules and happened to suit his driving style.

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"Today, the cars are heavier and slower to drive. There is less mechanical grip. This means that you have to change your driving style, especially in the braking zones. And that is exactly where Lewis lost time to Russell.

"It was particularly evident in qualifying that Lewis often no longer knew exactly how to brake. That is why he often had problems hitting the apex. He was used to braking extremely late, but that was no longer possible with the Mercedes.

"But he is not the only one who needs a stable front axle. Max Verstappen does too. But he is also able to deal with an unstable rear."

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

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