F1 Insider puzzled by “very confusing” Lewis Hamilton performances - “He can't wait to get to Christmas”
Lewis Hamilton's recent performances at Mercedes have left Johnny Herbert puzzled. The former F1 driver, in his latest statement, said that he could not understand how Hamilton has found raw speed at times, and then it has suddenly vanished. Citing this, Herbert said that Hamilton would want to wrap up the season as soon as possible and make his move to Ferrari.
Hamilton had a decent first half of the 2024 season, as he claimed two victories and two podiums. However, things started to go downhill once the season resumed following the summer break. Let alone a victory, the Mercedes star has failed to rake up a podium finish since the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix.
In Brazil this past weekend, Hamilton's race did not pan out any differently. He was out in Q1 in qualifying, and finished in P10 on Sunday's chaotic race, claiming just a point. Citing such back-to-back underwhelming performances by Hamilton following stints of impressive performances, Herbert revealed that it confused him.
"Lewis Hamilton can’t wait to get to Christmas," Herbert told SafestBettingSites.co.uk. "It is very confusing. There are times when he shows his real raw speed and then it all vanishes. How and why does that happen? That’s what I don’t understand. The car is a bit up and down like a yoyo anyway and George has similar issues."
Notably, Herbert, an FIA steward also added that Mercedes has less priority for Hamilton, which could also be a reason for the seven-time world champion's rollercoaster form this season. Here's what he said:
"Lewis is coming to the end of his time at Mercedes and George is the future. And Antonelli is lined up for next season. They will be favoring George, and a lot of the energy and input will be coming from him."
Hamilton is all set to move to Ferrari next season and race alongside Charles Leclerc. The British driver has agreed to a multi-year deal with the Prancing Horse and will replace the Williams-bound Carlos Sainz.
Lewis Hamilton explained his F1 Brazilian GP ordeal
Lewis Hamilton's race at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Brazil last Sunday was far from easy. As per his statement, the Mercedes driver suffered enormous bouncing during the race, and he termed it as "the bumpiest ride ever."
“Yeah, it was the bumpiest ride ever,” Hamilton told the media following the race. “I mean, I’m sure we had worse bouncing in 2022, but I think the car was better in 2022. It is what it is.”
Hamilton has been having long-standing issues with the W-15 as he has spoken about the difficulties involving the Mercedes challenger on multiple occasions. According to him, the car has had set-up issues week in, week out.