Lewis Hamilton among Max Verstappen’s rivals criticised for “glaring flaws”
"His race craft nowadays isn’t what it was"
Max Verstappen’s title rivals - including Lewis Hamilton - have “glaring flaws”, it has been claimed.
Hamilton’s switch from Mercedes to Ferrari adds a new dimension to the F1 2025 drivers’ title fight, as Verstappen aims for a fifth in a row.
But Red Bull have slipped behind McLaren in the development war for F1’s fastest car so Lando Norris could also have his say.
Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle claimed Hamilton, even a few percent short of perfection due to age, could still fight at the front which our experts agree with.
“I think so,” Lewis Larkam told the Crash F1 podcast.
“Hamilton’s season last year was poor by his standard but it would’ve been, for most drivers, their peak.
“It’s hard to say definitively if Hamilton is on the downwards slope, if he’s already reached a peak.
“We have seen signs that there are areas where he has lost an edge.
“This season will be a fairer reflection of that, because we’ll see if it was the Mercedes.
“Would a 97%, 98% Hamilton still be good enough to win the championship? I think he is, but if he’s up against a 100% Max Verstappen…
“Assuming Red Bull fix their issues and if they have a very competitive car, it will be incredibly difficult for anyone to beat Verstappen this season.
“But Hamilton, even at 99% or 98%, is still the driver who can take it to Verstappen over the course of the season.
“There are still questions over the others. Lando Norris? Last season was his most successful and strongest yet, but there were errors and question marks about his mentality.
“We didn’t see Norris v Verstappen over the course of the season.
“The only driver we’ve had that gauge with is Hamilton v Verstappen in 2021.
“Hamilton at 98% will be in contention for the championship.”
'Glaring flaws' of Max Verstappen's title rivals
“The drivers behind Verstappen all have glaring flaws, and we have to include Hamilton in that,” Connor McDonagh said.
“We’ve mentioned his qualifying, but also his race craft nowadays isn’t what it was.
“He’s less aggressive, more conservative. That has pros when you have the best car, and you’ve got to get it over the line, and take less risk.
“But when you’re lower in qualifying, he’s less conservative. “He’s used to racing at the front with Mercedes.
“That’s the big question mark around Hamilton.
“Even if you take away 2024 - just in 2022 and 2023, his race pace was outstanding while qualifying was more hit and miss.
“Those inconsistencies, Verstappen doesn’t really have.
“But, it is Hamilton, and in six months I don’t want to look like a fool!”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
