Two mistakes, and a bit of bad luck, ruined his race at the Qatar Grand Prix. They follow two blunders in Vegas. What is happening?
There is something wrong with Lewis Hamilton. While he had recovered his head in the middle of the season with two victories, his end of the championship turned into an ordeal.
At the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he made two errors in his two qualifying attempts, which pushed him back to tenth on the grid as George Russell snatched pole position.
Sunday in Qatar, he qualified sixth while his teammate was still on pole, and completely missed his race by anticipating the start and driving too fast in the pit lane, which caused him both injuries. separate penalties.
Russell- Hamilton : 18-5
Such errors are unlike him. If his delay in points is limited (24 points), his deficit in qualifying compared to his garage neighbor is abysmal: 18-5 in favor of Russell (and 5-1 for qualifying for the sprint race). The explanation for this collapse has a lot to do with the fact that the Briton doesn't like ground-effect F1 cars, which don't suit his driving style.
Current F1 cars do not reward late braking with a sharp steering input into the corner, the so-called “V-corner exit”. Instead, these cars prefer a smoother, more stable approach to the corner, which requires braking a little earlier and maintaining speed through the corner, which should be negotiated more like a “U”.
This is precisely what Hamilton claims “hate”he who practices what we call “trail braking”: “It’s just not me”he admitted in Hungary to journalists who questioned him about his difficulties. As Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes' director of track engineering, explains, the problem dates back to 2022:
“Lewis had difficulty accepting this generation of cars, which did not correspond at all to his driving style,
explains the engineer. It is especially in the exercise of qualification that he suffers compared to George. His pace is still excellent, but the way he attacks a corner does not suit the current chassis, which oversteer quite a bit and easily overheat the tires.”
Lost in the settings?
From the Canadian Grand Prix onwards, thanks to the introduction of a new front wing, Hamilton regained some momentum. At the wheel of a W15 that has become easier to adjust, more predictable and easier to drive, he has gained a little confidence. But it didn't really last. It seems that he changed the settings a lot to adapt his car to his taste, and perhaps he made a mistake in his choices. If we add to this the fact that he used his tires a little too much in qualifying and therefore lost grip, we understand why Lewis suffered more than George.
Some have suggested that at age 39, his verve may have faded. Toto Wolff himself declared that the departure of his driver for the Scuderia was a good thing in that it avoided having to fire him when he would have reached his expiration date. Before specifying a few days later:
“What I was referring to is that we all age, whether behind the wheel of a car, on a field, as a manager or entrepreneur. Unlike me, I think Lewis has lost nothing . He's there when the car is good, but we haven't been able to give him this car. Okay, he's different than he was at 20 years old. it's clear, but his experience and his sense of racing are extraordinary.”
Head elsewhere…
Certainly, but technology probably does not explain everything. Hamilton chose to leave Brackley to “reinvent”
in Maranello in his own words:
“We met at my home in Oxford,
explains Wolff and he announced his departure to me by saying in essence: 'I think this is a good step for all of us. I have to reinvent myself.'
“Every driver wants to drive a Ferrari. Maybe it's a good thing for Mercedes too because we've been together for twelve years and we need to regain strength as a team.”
Hamilton therefore awaits his next challenge, without having anything to eat in the meantime. Mercedes is stuck in fourth place in the constructors' standings. And among the drivers, being sixth or seventh changes nothing. Given his record, dominating his teammate does not interest him. If he hadn't made a mistake in qualifying, he could have fought for victory in Vegas, but it's as if he had already left for Italy, his head elsewhere.
Especially since the progress made by his future team must delight him for 2025. Although he is too professional to admit it in public (and he wants to try to finish in style with Mercedes), Hamilton is keeping a close eye on Ferrari's progress. By giving up? Yes, but not always, as evidenced by his great rise from tenth to second place on the Strip, which proves that his motivation returns when his car is competitive (the same could be said of Fernando Alonso).
Hoping to do better in his final race with Mercedes after 12 years of collaboration, Hamilton is counting down the days until his next challenge. Which suggests that he probably did well to choose to leave Brackley to re-motivate himself. But even in Maranello, he will have to face, once again, an extremely gifted driver. At the risk that the roulette verdict is
“44, red, even and missing”…
