Lewis Hamilton

F1 champion draws conclusions after Hamilton's troubled season with Ferrari

08:10, 30 Jul

byTobia Elia

Damon Hill came to Lewis Hamilton’s defense amid the Briton’s challenging start to life at Ferrari, saying he still needs time to adapt to an environment that’s completely different from Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton’s weekend at Spa can be divided into two very distinct phases. The Englishman was knocked out in Q1 for the second consecutive time—once due to an unusual rear lock-up under braking and once for exceeding track limits.

However, the race saw a much more notable comeback. Starting from the pit lane after multiple component changes, the Ferrari driver fought his way up to seventh place, aided by a flawless strategy call from the Ferrari pit wall.

Despite being awarded Driver of the Day, Hamilton faced plenty of criticism over his Belgian weekend, on top of the ongoing scrutiny since the start of the season due to results that have struggled to match those of Charles Leclerc.

Lewis Hamilton at Spa

Hill defends Hamilton

Speaking on the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast, the 1996 world champion came to the defense of his compatriot, emphasizing that moving to a completely different team like Ferrari still requires time to adjust.

“You can understand why people think you can, if you’re quick, just jump in and off you go, but these cars are so complicated. When you’ve spent 10 years at Mercedes doing things a certain way, it takes an awful lot to get out of that mode of thinking.''

''All the switches are in a different place. Loads of things you have to think about. The way the brakes work and the car feels, all these things are alien to you. And quite apart from the fact that a lot of people are speaking Italian, and he doesn’t know.''

Despite a disappointing season so far, Hill believes Hamilton still has a strong desire to challenge himself and win.

“It is difficult to bed yourself in, and he’s got a lot on his shoulders. I know he’s 40-something years old now. And he’s a seven-time, stroke, eight-time world champion. Nevertheless, you still feel it. He wants to deliver.''

Finally, he concluded: “It’s awfully hard when you’ve had a bad qualifying and you’ve got all this responsibility on your shoulders. I don’t care how much experience you’ve had. That is a tough one.”