HomeFormula 1Lewis Hamilton Left Speechless After Difficult Spanish Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton Left Speechless After Difficult Spanish Grand Prix

While McLaren went on to claim 1-2 at the Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton had a rather disappointing day after a strong qualifying performance. After the race, he gave an interview to Sky Sport where he indicated that he had no idea where he is losing pace.

Lewis Hamilton started the Spanish Grand Prix in P5. After the Qualifying session, Hamilton declared that he was aiming for a podium finish on Sunday. However, he completely fell off the pace during the race.

Hamilton was able to get ahead of George Russell at the start, but was unable to maintain his position. Early into the race, Ferrari had to enforce team order to allow Leclerc, who was seconds faster, through. He later got undercut by his former teammate, George Russell.

Later in the race, a safety car was deployed, allowing the 7-time champion to save face by making an overtake or two. However, he fell further back during the restart, losing position to Nico Hulkenberg in the Sauber.

Lewis Hamilton has “no idea what to say” after the Spanish Grand Prix

Sometime during the race, Hamilton came on the radio to claim that there was something wrong with the car as he was not on pace compared to his teammate. When he was asked if there was something wrong with the car by Sky Sports, he said:

“Not particularly. Just not a great day. Strategy was good. Team did a great job. Just that’s it.”

“[…] I’ve had a really bad day and have nothing to say. It was a difficult day. There’s nothing else to add to it.

“It was terrible. There’s no point explaining it. It’s not your fault. I just don’t know what to say.”

On whether the team can find some answers: “I’m sure they won’t…”

It is rare to see a 7-time Champion this demotivated by his performance. He made sure to mention that there was nothing wrong with the car and that the problem was his own, and he simply couldn’t find the performance in the car.

Since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Ferrari has improved their race pace, allowing it to compete for podium finishes. This allowed Leclerc to claim podiums in both the Monaco Grand Prix and the Spanish Grand Prix. Ferrari has even taken 2nd place in the Constructors’ Championship.

While Leclerc has shown strong pace in the past couple of races, the same cannot be said for his teammate. In Monaco, Hamilton finished over 40 seconds behind his teammate. In Spain, he was again close to 15 seconds behind Leclerc before the safety car was deployed, plus he got overtaken by a Sauber.

Is Nico Rosberg’s theory on Hamilton accurate?

While covering the FP2 session on Sky Sports, Nico Rosberg commented on Lewis Hamilton’s dip in performance. He claimed that it is age-related. Looking at Hamilton’s recent performances and his comments on his own pace, it can lead you to wonder whether Rosberg was right.

Ever since the 2021 season, when Hamilton lost the Championship to Max Verstappen, he has simply not been the best. Although he has not had the best car since then, he has been getting outperformed by his teammates.

Nico Rosberg Delivers “Age-Related” Verdict on Lewis Hamilton Dip in Form

During his final years with Mercedes, he was not always able to show the same pace as his then-teammate, George Russell. This year, he has been consistently off pace compared to Charles Leclerc. He has also not explained why he is off pace. However, there is one more theory that negates this one.

Hamilton has spent years driving one of the best cars on the grid. This year, Ferrari is nowhere near McLaren’s pace. So the theory is that if Ferrari is able to produce a Championship-winning machine, Hamilton should be able to find his form back. Right now, he is only trying to get data for the team to develop the car.

What do you think the issue is for Lewis Hamilton? Do you think it is age-related or car-related? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.

Ashwath Mohan
Ashwath Mohan
Ashwath Mohan is a Senior F1 Content Writer at Fastest Pitstop. With over 1000 articles written for various F1 sites, Ashwath’s insights into the racing world are both informed and engaging. He is also pursuing an MBA at IIM Amritsar, aiming to blend his expertise in Formula 1 with advanced business skills to enhance his contributions to the field.
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