“Sad interviews” expose reason that Lewis Hamilton has “lost his way”

The beleaguered interviews that Lewis Hamilton continues to provide are a snapshot into a key failing, it has been suggested.

Hamilton was at a low ebb in the past two years with his below-par Mercedes, but his drab post-session interviews have reappeared in his first few F1 rounds as a Ferrari driver.

Last weekend after qualifying in Bahrain, he bemoaned his pace by saying “it happens every Saturday”.

Martin Brundle insists that age is not the problem for the 40-year-old Hamilton - but has pinpointed where he is going wrong.

“The sad interviews we got quite used to last year are replaying at Ferrari,” Brundle told Sky Sports in Bahrain.

Discussing age, he said: “I noticed my eyes going at Le Mans, for example, at night.

“Sebastian Vettel lost a bit of peripheral vision if I think of the end of his career.

“I wouldn’t say that one size fits all.

“I don’t think age is Lewis’ problem. I don’t think he has lost vision or driving ability.

“He has just lost his way in getting a car how he likes it.

“And he’s got a host of young drivers around him who have over 100 races of experience, and are still in their mid-20s.”

New theory to explain Lewis Hamilton struggle at Ferrari

Ferrari brought four floor upgrades to Bahrain in an attempt to inspire life into their flat start to 2025.

Charles Leclerc was fourth, and Hamilton fifth, which represented a step in the right direction but Ferrari are still significantly short of pre-season hope.

They have struggled with the ride-height of their car which culminated in the first double-disqualification of their famous history in Formula 1 at the Chinese Grand Prix.

Hamilton needing to learn new tricks to unlock performance at Ferrari, after so long at Mercedes, is difficult in comparison to his rivals who do not face the same problem.

“Somebody explained to me that it’s harder to move teams and re-learn, than to be a rookie and just learn,” Brundle said.

“I am kind of buying into that, a little bit.

“It’s a bit surprising. I thought Lewis would pick it up. Clearly the car is not working for him.

“He needs to find out, and work with the engineer, and find where all the green buttons are to find the speed that Leclerc already knows.

“But at the moment? I’d say it’s troubled times.”

Naomi Schiff added: “I am not even sure the question is about finding the sweet spot. I think they know where the sweet spot is, but unfortunately they’re not able to run the car there without a cause for concern on their ride-height, which leads to the infringement we saw in China.

“It’s not ideal for them, they are running the car in a compromised set-up.

“I buy into the theory that young drivers like Isack Hadjar or Kimi Antonelli are coming in, and are building their foundations, they come into a car and are losing.

“Hamilton, and Carlos Sainz, are not having the same experience. They are having to semi-unlearn some of their habits and it’s taking time.

“It’s almost like a compounded issue for Lewis.”

The F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is this weekend offering Hamilton and Ferrari another opportunity to creep closer to the front.