Former Belgian Formula One driver Thierry Boutsen has stated what he believes is the cause of Lewis Hamilton’s lack of form this season, claiming that if he wins a championship with Ferrari, it will be on the team’s merit.
Thierry Boutsen, a former Formula One driver and race winner, says Lewis Hamilton may be straining to give “100 percent” in his final year at Mercedes.
Boutsen, who competed in Formula One from 1983 to 1993, has questioned Hamilton’s current performance, claiming that “maybe he’s only driving at 98 percent.”
However, the 66-year-old, who won three Grand Prix while at Williams, does not believe he is ‘phoning it in’ ahead of his move to Ferrari next season.
“I don’t think he’s moving on from Mercedes,” he remarked in an interview with PlanetF1.com. “But I understand that, given his experience and age, it’s a little more difficult to give it his best.
“Perhaps he’s only driving at 98%. We witnessed it during the race [in Japan], when he questioned whether he should let George [Russell] to pass him. A few years ago, he would have fought like hell to keep ahead of him.”
“Now, when it gets worse, like this one, he just quits up and gives Russell an opportunity to be better than him and help the team to be better because he feels that he’s not in a position – or capable of performing as well – for whatever reason.
The seven-time drivers’ world champion has been outperformed by his less experienced teammate in the first four rounds of the season. Hamilton finished ninth in Suzuka, allowing George Russell to cross the finish line in eighth.
The 103-time race winner has only 10 points this season, his lowest total at this stage of the season in his entire Formula One career. Russell has more than doubled his production, with 24.