Lewis Hamilton admits that his one-lap pace isn’t where it needs to be this season, but the Mercedes driver rejects the notion that it’s been “disastrous”.
The seven-time world champion has built a remarkable legacy as Grand Prix racing’s most decorated qualifier, with a record 104 pole positions to his name.
But this season, despite showing flashes of speed in F1’s Saturday afternoon grid-defining exercise, Hamilton’s efforts have often fallen short of expectations, to the point where his struggles in qualifying have become a recurring theme for the Briton.
According to Mercedes, the root of Hamilton’s difficulties lies in his attacking driving style, which does not align well with the characteristics of the current ground effect cars or the peakiness of the Pirelli tyres.
The nuances of this year’s machinery have required a more delicate touch, something that Hamilton’s natural driving style has struggled to accommodate.
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But while he has attempted to adapt the latter, he has been careful not to deviate too far from his proven methods.
“I’m stubborn. And so, I keep trying to drive the way I want to drive,” he explained recently, quoted by Motorsport Week.
“But then I realise it doesn’t always work and then I try to… kind of massage my way through. But it’s not working that well.
“Still to this point, I think ultimately as a driver, you have to be adaptive and you have to concede that sometimes your approaches to certain things aren’t perfect and you just start looking at ways in which you can still hold on to the essence of what’s made you as good as you’ve been and see how you can move the ball back.”
While some might see these struggles as a sign of decline, Hamilton himself rejects such a notion.
“Ultimately, as drivers, you can’t drive anything. I mean, you can’t.
“So in certain situations, some drivers do things better than others and it takes some people a short time, others longer, to adapt. But I wouldn’t say it’s disastrous.”
While his qualifying performances may not have been up to his usual standards, Hamilton’s race pace has remained formidable and he has managed to capitalize on Mercedes’ recent improvements, securing two victories this season.
This resilience and racecraft have kept him ahead of teammate George Russell in the championship standings, despite Russell’s apparent qualifying advantage.
Ferrari’s Frederic Vasseur, who is set to become Hamilton’s team boss in 2025, highlighted the significance of the Briton’s achievements this season, despite his qualifying woes.
“Everyone has been saying since the beginning that Russell is faster than Hamilton, but at the moment he is the one who has scored more points for Mercedes,” Vasseur pointed out.
“In terms of efficiency, I think he’s a good benchmark.”
“We know the positive aspects of Lewis’ arrival at Ferrari. For example, his great experience in Formula 1.”
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