Hamilton, Ferrari and the quest for a ‘magic solution’

Lewis Hamilton left the last race of the first part of the Formula 1 season saying he was looking forward to a break – and acting like he needed one.

It hasn’t been an easy debut for the most successful driver in history with Ferrari.

The season started with Hamilton full of positivity about his new environment, and a sprint race pole and victory at the second race of the season in China hinted at great promise.

Within 24 hours of that success, however, reality began to sag a wrench. Both Ferraris were disqualified from the grand prix in Shanghai for technical infringements, having not been on the pace of the McLarens.

Hamilton and Ferrari have struggled to be competitive since then, and he ended the season by declaring at the Hungarian Grand Prix that he was “just useless” and “drove terribly.”

The raw statistics of Hamilton’s first part-season offer no firm conclusions.

Leclerc has outqualified The Briton for all qualifying sessions, giving him a fair chance to make a fair comparison, and he is on average 0.146 seconds slower.

But the season can be split into two parts – before and after the Miami Grand Prix, the sixth race of the season.

Hamilton finished second to Leclerc in the first six races, but he only qualified ahead twice in China, both times, for a time of 0.204 seconds.

Since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in mid-May, Hamilton’s average deficit to Leclerc is just 0.078secs, including his two recent difficult weekends in Belgium and Hungary.

In the two races that followed, Hamilton had outqualified Leclerc three times.

Most drivers who have switched teams in F1 in recent years have faced some kind of adaption period, and Hamilton’s relationship with his engineer Riccardo Adami still does not sound at the level of mutual understanding he enjoyed with Peter Bonnington at Mercedes.

Leclerc has also competed for Ferrari since 2019 and is regarded by many as the fastest F1 driver in excess of one lap.

Can any driver be said to have “lost it” – as some have started to ask about Hamilton – if they are 0.078secs slower than arguably the fastest driver in the world?

However, there are some trends in Hamilton’s recent form.

In his first two seasons as team-mate to George Russell at Mercedes, they were separated by hundredths of a second on average qualifying pace, in 2022 in Hamilton’s favour, in 2023 in Russell’s.

However, something happened last year. Russell thrashed Hamilton 18-5 in qualifying at an average advantage of 0.171secs.

The year was going to be challenging because Hamilton made a comeback from telling Mercedes he was leaving for Ferrari before the season even began.

Even so, the remarks Hamilton made in Hungary this year were reminiscent of those he occasionally made in 2024, such as when he said at the penultimate race in Qatar that he was “definitely not fast any more”.

Hamilton frequently reacts emotionally when he is unable to explain why he isn’t as quick as he anticipates, when he has lost confidence, and is reevaluating himself.

Why the focus on qualifying? It provides a reference for absolute speed, first. Beyond that, not only has Hamilton always prided himself on his qualifying, but he is also the all-time record pole winner by far more than he is the race record holder. He leads Michael Schumacher’s 91 victories, but he has 104 poles over Schumacher’s 68.

And until losing the qualifying battle to Russell over their three years together, no driver had ever come out on top against Hamilton over their time as team-mates.

Late braking and gaining time in the corner-entry phase has been Hamilton’s stock-in-trade during his career.

He has not made it known that he does not enjoy the newest car generation.

Until 2021, F1 cars had flat floors, were higher at the rear than the front, and had softer suspension.

Hamilton would rotate the car based on the increase in rear ride-height during braking and the resulting shift in aerodynamic balance, which produced more front grip. His ability to balance on the edge of adhesion in the braking-entry phase at a higher speed than almost anyone else made him stand out.

The 2022 models of cars have shaped underbodies that create downforce by creating ground effects through so-called venturi tunnels. They have to run low and stiff to work at their best.

It’s impossible to attack corners in the manner that Hamilton once did. A different style is required. Drivers complain that to maximize the underbody downforce, they must brake earlier and accelerate into the corner.

Hamilton seems not to have been able to adapt as readily as others to this, or at least has not been able to differentiate himself as much. But why? Until the last few years, after all, he was renowned for his adaptability.

Hamilton’s main issue with this year’s Ferrari is that he lacks confidence in the back during cornering and braking.

Ferrari have introduced a series of upgrades in recent races – a new floor in Austria and in Belgium a new rear suspension, which seems to be limiting lift so the rear ride-height stays in a smaller window for a more optimum aerodynamic position.

Leclerc claimed in Hungary that he now finds the car more predictable, enabling him to “play with the limit a little more” during a qualifying lap.

But so far this does not seem to have translated into the car speaking the same language as Hamilton, who was more than 0.2secs slower than Leclerc when he was knocked out of the second qualifying session in Hungary.

People have started to wonder whether Hamilton’s recent struggles relate to his age as he turns 40 this year, which is inevitable.

The last driver to win a grand prix in his 40s was Nigel Mansell, who was 41 when he took the chequered flag in Australia in 1994 after Michael Schumacher had collided with Damon Hill while disputing the world title.

Alain Prost, 39, won his final world title in 1993. Alonso would have won in Monaco in 2023, aged 41, had his Aston Martin team made the right tyre choice at a pit stop as rain was just starting to hit the circuit.

Before their final performance in Formula One, Mansell, Prost, and Alonso all took breaks. Mansell spent a few years in IndyCar, Prost took a forced sabbatical, and Alonso spent two years pursuing other categories.

Hamilton has been in F1 non-stop for 19 years. He hasn’t had a car competitive enough since he suffered what he considers an injustice by missing a record eighth world title in Abu Dhabi four years ago.

And now he has to get up to speed with a new team, with a different culture, against a super-quick team-mate.

According to Hill, Lewis has been doing this since he was a young child his entire life. Packing your bags, travelling, the jet lag. Really, really difficult is the 24-race season.

” You can get run down. The key is whether he can relax and enjoy his time at Ferrari before giving himself a break and giving up trying to change them. They bought him. They want him to be successful.

“Lewis is looking over at (NFL legend) Tom Brady and people who’ve inspired him, who kept competitive in their sports for a very long time and extended their careers.

However, you eventually burn yourself out. You haven’t got any energy left.

“And you can’t then concentrate,” You need a very clear mind to race and commit to what is needed.

Talking to ex-F1 drivers who have been through the process themselves, and have discussed it with other sportspeople who have done the same, the age that matters to an athlete is biological, not the number in their passport.

People age differently in different ways, including in body, mind, vision, reactions, balance, precision, and at various times and rates.

The brain builds new synapses more slowly, so finds it harder to adjust.

If Hamilton is struggling to adapt as well as he did in the past, it would explain why he is doing so.

Equally, a successful, experienced driver knows they achieved peak performance with certain ways of assessing and feeling the car. The more challenging it is to change the more you get older the more deeply this is imprinted in your brain.

If Hamilton has lost even a tiny edge in this way, it would make sense that in a car that has reasonably fast rear movements that are not predictable and progressive, his body and mind cannot cope, accept, adjust and improve as well as they once could.

Hamilton might not be able to win again, but it might mean he won’t be as successful as he did unless he can find a car that suits his driving style.

The rules are changing next year, and cars are going back to flat, stepped bottoms, similar to the kind used before 2022.

Even if what is being seen right now is a result of age, Hamilton will still be able to win multiple races and championships if those cars give him the cues he need and allow his inputs to communicate with the car’s outputs more effectively.

At the same time, ageing is a reality no one can escape.

Hill had to deal with it head-on. In 1998, two years after becoming world champion, he took Jordan to their first victory, at the Belgian Grand Prix. He was abruptly discovered that he was no longer competitive in 1999.

Hill says:” How does age affect racing drivers? It’s similar to taking a vacation. Eventually, you know you’re going to have to go home. And, is that really not a holiday, at all?

“As a sportsperson, you know there is an end. And that affects your perception. There’s no way you can ignore it. Even if you love it and are good at it, you still have to consider stopping doing this thing.