Lewis Hamilton , the most well-renowned name in the world of F1, has not been having the best of times under the ongoing ground-effect era. He has been struggling since 2022 to get on top of Mercedes’ challengers and while the team has not done the Brit any favors by producing lackluster cars, he himself has also not been performing at his level best.
In 2022, George Russell joined the Brackley-based team from Williams and everyone was expecting Lewis Hamilton to blow away the young Brit. However, to the surprise of the pundits and the fans, the latter was the one who got outclassed. Russell managed to score 275 points including a Grand Prix win whereas Hamilton was only able to put on board 240.
However, after facing immense criticism, the 39-year-old changed the tide by outperforming his teammate last year. Hamilton managed a strong 234 points in comparison to Russell’s 175.
Keeping this in view, the seven-time world champion was expected to dominate his young teammate during the ongoing campaign. But to his surprise, Russell has been on it from the get-go and has pretty much outclassed Hamilton in every department. Be in qualifying or race trim, the former has had the veteran’s number.
All of this has led to people dwelling over whether Lewis Hamilton has lost out on the pace he had in him during the turbo hybrid era. Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the best drivers to ever step foot in F1 but has his aging body started hurting his on-track performance?
With the 39-year-old joining Ferrari next year, he could be in for a more troublesome time against the prolific Charles Leclerc. Keeping everything that has been discussed in view, his deal with Ferrari could prove to be his last contract at the pinnacle of motor racing!
Mercedes deems W15 their ‘best car’ under the current regulations
While Lewis Hamilton has a lot on his plate dealing with his frequent average performances under the ongoing regulations, Mercedes feels their 2024 challenger is the best car they have produced under the current set of regulations. The W13 and W14 were absolute blunders!
Going ahead into the season, Toto Wolff is optimistic regarding the W15.
In the high speed we were super competitive, also in Suzuka through the Esses, and it was day and night compared to what we had before. The drivers were speaking about it as the best car they had in the last two-and-a-half years. Toto Wolff said in an interview with Mirror
2021 was the last year of the turbo hybrid era and that was also the last time Lewis Hamilton was seen fighting for the coveted F1 world championship. With him already being 39, he does not have a lot of years ahead of him in the sport, and considering this, it will be fascinating to see how the rest of the ongoing campaign will pan out for him.
However, no matter how he performs, people will be glued to their TV screens next year to see him repping the iconic red gear of Ferrari. One of Hamilton’s last wishes in F1 is to have at least one more serious go at the F1 world title.
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