Lewis Hamilton losing his edge as British media turn on home hero

Whilst Nico Hulkenberg celebrated with his podium debut at Silverstone, questions have been raised in the British media about Lewis Hamilton's F1 prowess.

Silverstone should have been Hamilton's weekend, with a renewed competitiveness in the Ferrari and wet weather conditions, the odds lined up in his favour to take his first podium with the Scuderia.

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Instead, the seven-time world champion languished in P4 and was unable to produce an overtake on the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg, a result that has been lamented by British sports writer Oliver Brown in The Telegraph.

"Little encapsulated Lewis Hamilton’s fading star this season quite like the sight of the seven-time world champion, a conjurer of all manner of miracles around Silverstone, trying and failing for 17 laps to hunt down a Sauber," he wrote as he analysed where the British GP went wrong for Hamilton.

"It was in his abortive pursuit of Hulkenberg, though, that the cracks were most visible. At one stage he was within DRS range of the German but still could not produce the overtake, with his uncharacteristic errors leaving him stranded five seconds behind."

Is Hamilton losing his star power?

Hamilton has been largely outclassed by his team-mate Charles Leclerc this season, with the 27-year-old out-qualifying the champion on eight occasions.

At Silverstone however, Hamilton was the Ferrari driver with the advantage and Leclerc was unable to even finish inside the top 10 in the tricky conditions on Sunday.

Hamilton also bemoaned the Ferrari's tricky handling in the rain in his post-race interview, but these difficulties only provide further evidence to Brown that Hamilton's star power is fading.

"The torrential rain in Sao Paulo last November, for example, should have been his [Hamilton's] opportunity to dazzle, bringing his full range of amphibian brilliance to the fore," Brown continued.

"Instead he was knocked out in the first phase of qualifying, creating such misery that he briefly floated the idea of breaking his Mercedes contract early."

There is an element of persuasion in Brown's argument. Surely Hamilton's prowess around Silverstone and the cheers of the home crowd, should have been enough for the champion to catch Hulkenberg during the closing stages of the race.

However, to use Hamilton's performance in Silverstone as a trump card to prove with certainty the champion is on his way out, is still too much of a stretch.

"What to make, then, of the fact that Hamilton, cheered relentlessly by his disciples at his beloved Silverstone, could still not reel it in?

"You could only regard it, ultimately, as the most damning evidence yet of his diminishing powers," Brown concluded.

While Brown's words make for a punchy finale to his Hamilton hit-piece, he fails to take into account the nuance of a race, where even the ever-impressive Max Verstappen could not produce a wet weather masterclass.

Furthermore, Leclerc's measly finishing position of P14 should also be taken into account, and while P4 is by no means a result to celebrate for Hamilton, it proves that it is the SF-25 that is holding the Ferrari drivers back rather than the champion's racing ability.

Leclerc has also been unable to work miracles with the 2025 package, but has not received an ounce of the criticism that has been launched at Hamilton since he made his Ferrari debut.

Seven world titles does make for higher expectations, but it is not a reason to give up hope on Hamilton after Silverstone.

As F1 emerges from the ground effect era in 2026, a concept so haunted for Hamilton over the past four years, Britain would be foolish to abandon one of their most successful sporting stars quite so early.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton in heartwarming moment with pregnant Sky F1 presenter at Silverstone

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