Lewis Hamilton’s start to the 2024 has been sub-par by the seven-time world champion’s standards. While Mercedes’ inferiority has limited his performance, Hamilton has made mistakes that have cost him; most recently at the 2024 Chinese GP, something his former rival Nico Rosberg pointed out.
Rosberg reminded Hamilton of the painful fact that in five races so far this year, his teammate George Russell has outperformed him in four of those. The ex-Mercedes driver also feels that Hamilton doesn’t take accountability for the mistakes he makes on the track.
As reported by Gazzetta.it, Rosberg said:
“For me, this is an excuse. Clearly, he made a mistake. These are mistakes that normally a seven-time world champion should not make.”
Russell has been Hamilton’s teammate since the 2022 season and in their first year together, the youngster outperformed the veteran. In 2023, Hamilton got the better of Russell but if the latter manages to repeat the heroics of his first season with Mercedes again, things could look “bad” for Hamilton, per Rosberg.
Furthermore, Hamilton leaves Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of the 2024 season. This doesn’t make the last few months of his stint with the Brackley-based outfit any easier.
Toto Wolff won’t allow Lewis Hamilton to look at the data
Toto Wolff knows that Hamilton is leaving for Ferrari, a rival team that is looking to make strides in the championship standings, as are they. If Hamilton takes input from Mercedes on his way to Maranello, it would benefit the Italian team, but put Mercedes at a disadvantage.
According to Rosberg, this is why Wolff won’t let the Stevenage-born driver take a look at what the team is working on behind the scenes. He said,
“But, at a certain moment, Toto Wolff will tell him that he will no longer be able to look at the team’s data.”
Mercedes are currently in a fight for fourth place with Aston Martin who on raw pace seem to be faster than the Silver Arrows. A P5 finish in the Championship standings could turn out to be a catastrophic conclusion, relative to their P2 finish in 2023.
So, Hamilton needs to pull up his socks, as even he wishes to end his stint at the Silver Arrows on a good note. Mercedes have often pulled off these developmental turnarounds in the past, to overtake its rivals. However, that has not been the case in the ground effect regulations cycle since 2022.
As a result, it could be a steep climb for the seven-time champion and he may not get the perfect farewell from the Brackley outfit.
