In what should be Lewis Hamilton‘s last season with Mercedes, there’s a noticeable absence of his usual success and joy. This was evident during the Australian Grand Prix qualifying round, where Brit, a seven-time world champion, finished in a disappointing 11th place. More surprisingly, his teammate George Russell outperformed him, advancing to Q2.

The 7x champion’s struggles with his performance are apparent, contrasting sharply with George Russell‘s confidence. The 26-year-old driver’s differing perspective sheds light on potential team tensions, subtly hinting at dissatisfaction with Hamilton’s performance while offering an honest assessment of Mercedes’ overall competitiveness.

George Russell’s candid remarks on Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton lamented his Mercedes’ inconsistency and the disruptive effect of wind during the Australian Grand Prix qualifying. Failing to reach Q3, he will be starting in 11 position on the grid for Sunday’s race. Meanwhile, his teammate, surpassing him in qualifying, expresses confidence in both car and performance, showcasing a contrasting perspective within the team. Following the qualifying round, George Russell remarked, “I’m definitely not having the fluctuations in confidence and performance on my side of the garage, or in my car, compared to what Lewis is experiencing. I’m reasonably happy with how the car is handling. We just don’t have the performance. It was a difficult day but we still qualified P7. There’s gonna be a lot of deg tomorrow in the race but still a lot to play for.”

The Brit described Friday’s practice session as “one of the worst.” Mercedes made overnight progress to the car, with Hamilton finishing within a tenth of pacesetter, Charles Leclerc, in Saturday’s practice. Windier conditions in the afternoon affected his performance, leading to a disappointing Q2 lap and being outpaced by Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda.

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When the 39-year-old driver was asked what he struggles with W15, he replied to Skysports, “In the afternoon here, the wind picks up, the same as P2. P1 was a bit better and then when the wind picks up, the car becomes a lot more unstable. And then this morning was nice with calmer wind, and then as soon as the wind picks up it gets a little bit less stable.” While George Russell outpaced Hamilton in the qualifying round, finishing in 7th position, it’s evident that 7 x champion needs to extract more performance for his next race.

Lewis Hamiton struggles with W15

In 2022, George Russell notably outperformed the seven-time world champion. However, the following year, in 2023, Lewis Hamilton managed to accrue the most points for the team but fell short of claiming a victory. Now, in an unexpected turn of events in 2024, it appears Brit has conceded the spotlight to his teammate.

After the qualifying round in the interview, the Brit said, “I don’t know if I’m dealing with it that great, less consistent than George. George is doing a better job with our car, three qualifying in a row that he’s out-qualified me and he seems to get on along better than I do, so… yeah. Just trying to keep my head above water and continue to, realizing that it could be way worse.”  Thus, observing the gloomy response from the seven-time champion, it’s challenging to gauge how he will perform in the upcoming race, adding an air of uncertainty to his future performance.

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What factors do you believe may have contributed to Lewis Hamilton’s performance decline this season? let us know your thoughts in the comments