"Just so you know, no team wants their drivers to be slow": F1 legend blasts Lewis Hamilton fan conspiracies of Mercedes sabotaging him
Former F1 world champion Jenson Button recently debunked Lewis Hamilton's fans' speculations that Mercedes could be sabotaging the seven-time world champion by not giving him a fast car. Button explained how every team wants both their drivers to be quick.
Before the 2024 F1 season, Ferrari confirmed that they had hired Hamilton as their permanent driver for 2025 and beyond. This marked 2024 as his last season with Mercedes. Ever since 2021, the British driver has been unable to push forward and fight for championships against Max Verstappen. Gradually, many of his fans started blaming Mercedes for not providing a decent car.
In 2024, Hamilton's followers speculated that Mercedes intentionally gave him a slower car. Many fans flocked to social media platforms to discuss and criticize the Brackley-based team.
However, F1 legend Jenson Button clarified that this simply cannot be the case in the sport. Speaking on Sky Sports, the 2009 F1 world champion explained that no team would want their drivers to be slow. He claimed that Hamilton was getting the same car as George Russell.
Button added that there could be chances that Mercedes must be testing new upgrade packages on Russell since he is staying with them.
"Just so the fans know, no team wants any of their drivers to be slow, never want them to be slow. So, just so you know, Lewis Hamilton will be getting the same equipment. Sometimes teams will have a slight upgrade that goes on one car rather than the other, especially for the driver that is staying. But its the same for Checo Perez as well, they want them to be quick," Button said.
Toto Wolff admits that Lewis Hamilton's poor qualifying streak was due to the Mercedes W15's nature
Though Jenson Button's take on Mercedes not wanting to slow down Lewis Hamilton makes sense, the team's boss, Toto Wolff, explained that this generation of Mercedes did not suit Hamilton's driving style.
Speaking to F1 TV after Qatar GP sprint qualifying, Wolff admitted that the seven-time world champion did not lose his ability over a single lap. Instead, his qualifying woes in 2024 were a product of him not getting in tune with the Mercedes W15.
“It’s just this generation of cars, particularly how the car is now. It’s just something that he likes, he’s a late braker, he carries a lot of speed on the entry to the corner and the car doesn’t take it. You can see him inking out, taking more and more time intellectually, and trying to find more performance," Wolff said.
“We need to give him a car that’s to his liking. He’s very team-oriented, doesn’t say anything, but he’s not happy with the car,” he added.
Lewis Hamilton is currently seventh in the driver's championship table with 211 points.