Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is convinced that Lewis Hamilton’s consistent qualifying struggles are down to the current Formula 1 cars rather than him losing his speed.
Hamilton is F1’s most decorated ever qualifier with a record 103 pole positions, but he lags 18-5 behind in the head-to-head versus team-mate George Russell in 2024.
The Briton bemoaned his persistent woes last weekend in Las Vegas as two errors in Q3 resigned him to starting 10th as Russell converted pole position into the win.
Mercedes has maintained that competitiveness at the Lusail International Circuit, which Russell capitalised on to log pole again when Max Verstappen was penalised.
However, Hamilton trailed more than four-tenths down in sixth, leading him to express that he is “slow in general” as he labelled it the “same as every other qualifying”.
But the seven-time F1 champion, who will depart Mercedes to head to Ferrari in 2025, was also adamant that there is “no question” in his mind that he has still “got it”.
Wolff has agreed with his driver’s sentiment, citing that Hamilton’s particular driving style hasn’t been conducive to maximising lap time with these ground-effect cars.
“I’m certain that it’s not true,” Wolff told F1 TV when told about Hamilton’s claim that he has become “slow”.
“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.
“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.”
Wolff backs Hamilton to rebound
But with Hamilton having charged through the pack one week ago to complete a Mercedes 1-2, Wolff harbours no doubts that he can climb the order in the main race.
“Lewis in the race, however, usually manages to turn it around like last week where he was overtaking car after car and coming through the pack,” he added.
“We’ll see what tomorrow brings and hopefully we can deliver another good result with both cars for the team.”
READ MORE – Lewis Hamilton claims ‘I’ve still got it’ despite Qatar F1 qualifying blow
