Lewis Hamilton has arguably faced one of the toughest seasons of his career in 2024, which was his final year with Mercedes. As the seven-time world champion prepares to join Ferrari, his former teammate Nico Rosberg has weighed in on the challenges ahead for Hamilton.
According to Rosberg, Hamilton‘s recent struggles have come mainly due to his poor qualifying form and he thinks that the Briton will be concerned about it as he steps into a team known for its high expectations.
Hamilton’s qualifying performances in 2024 were a stark contrast to his earlier periods of dominance. Over the season, his younger teammate George Russell outqualified him 19 to 5 in Grand Prix qualifying, cementing a head-to-head advantage of 39-29 over their three years together.
Rosberg, who knows Hamilton well from their time as Mercedes teammates, believes these issues have been weighing heavily on Hamilton. Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Rosberg said, “When you qualify poorly all the time almost, and he [Hamilton] says it himself, he’s just not quick enough in qualifying, then that’s something that was weighing on his shoulder so much during the end of the year.”
Best Average Qualifying Position in 2024
1. Max Verstappen: 2.81
2. Lando Norris: 3.57
3. Charles Leclerc: 5.00
4. George Russell: 5.43
5. Oscar Piastri: 5.52
6. Carlos Sainz: 5.75
7. Lewis Hamilton: 8.10
8. Sergio Perez: 8.90
9. Fernando Alonso: 9.38
10. Yuki Tsunoda: 11.19 pic.twitter.com/03zLxZs9b1— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) November 10, 2024
This weakness in qualifying is particularly significant as Hamilton joins Ferrari, where he will partner Charles Leclerc, widely regarded as one of the best qualifiers on the current F1 grid.
Rosberg emphasized that this dynamic could add pressure on the #44 driver, saying, “And especially going forward now, he has two years at Ferrari. And he will 100% be very, very worried.” That said, Hamilton cannot fall prey to this pressure, as he has set himself an incredibly high goal for his time at Maranello: win his elusive eighth world championship.
Ferrari will need Hamilton’s best to fight for a championship in 2025
Ferrari has signed Hamilton with high hopes of reclaiming the Constructors’ Championship in 2025 besides helping him secure his record eighth title. After a strong performance in the latter half of the 2024 season, the team seems ready to challenge McLaren for both championships next season.
For the Scuderia to succeed, the Briton will need to deliver strong results alongside Leclerc. Rosberg underlined this expectation, noting that Ferrari brought Hamilton in for his proven racecraft and leadership.
“Ferrari hired him to be on a level with Leclerc and fight for world championships. So I think he will be very worried about that,” he shared.
Throughout the 2024 season, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur was repeatedly questioned about Hamilton’s poor qualifying form. However, Vasseur consistently expressed faith in the 39-year-old’s ability to adapt and deliver when it matters most. Even Leclerc has backed Hamilton to overturn his recent struggles.
