F1 News: Mercedes driver suggests Lewis Hamilton struggles could be irreversible

Lewis Hamilton, Bahrain GP, Mercedes, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Mercedes driver suggests Hamilton struggles could be irreversible

Shay Rogers

Monday 25 March 2024 21:12 Updated: 22:46

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Mercedes simulator driver Anthony Davidson has suggested that this era of Formula 1 may not entirely suit Lewis Hamilton.

The seven-time champion is on the move at the end of 2024 and will head to Ferrari to partner Charles Leclerc for at least two seasons.

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He is without a race victory since the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix – under the previous era of technical regulations and has since struggled to come to terms with the modern Mercedes machinery.

Likewise, George Russell has suffered almost equally to him, but the pattern so far this season suggests that Hamilton is enduring a tougher time of things.

Lewis Hamilton is without an F1 in two and a half years

Looking back over Hamilton’s career, it is clear that some cars have suited him more than others – the 2020 Mercedes W11 better than the 2011 McLaren MP4-26 for example.

That’s a trend noticeable across almost every driver in motorsport, with some preferring some categories more than others.

Both Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel clearly preferred their championship winning era of cars to the struggles they suffered at other teams later in their careers.

Lewis Hamilton retired from last weekend's Australian GP

Anthony Davidson is a Mercedes simulator driver and F1 pundit

Davidson: Every driver has their car

It’s a trend that Mercedes simulator driver and former F1 star Anthony Davidson has pointed out, suggesting that it may be an unfixable part of Hamilton’s current form.

"I mean, every driver has their car and their generation where they felt absolutely at one. I certainly did when I was a driver,” Davidson told Sky Sports.

“I can think back to cars I’ve driven, categories I’ve driven where I’ve gone: ‘yeah, that car, that era, that was my car. That’s when I was, it just fitted the way I wanted to drive.’

“And yeah definitely, over the course of a long career, say like Lewis as had or Fernando, they will look back on cars they’ve driven and say: ‘yeah, I felt more at home in that car, not quite as home in that car.’

“I mean, those drivers are incredibly adaptable and to the untrained eye, you would never really notice that, the differences. But there are definite nuances to it.

“I’ve seen many drivers struggle in single seaters and then perform really well in touring cars or sports cars, and vice versa.”