‘It's not nice to see' – Lewis Hamilton warned he's suffering from same issue as Michael Schumacher after Ferrari switch

The Sun

a day ago

LEWIS HAMILTON is "lost" and suffering the same problem that fellow Formula One icon Michael Schumacher did.
Hamilton, 40, has struggled to extract top performance from his Ferrari machinery since joining the team over the winter.
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The Brit has achieved one Sprint Race win in China but has otherwise failed to achieve a podium for the Scuderia.
Former F1 star and Sky Sports F1 pundit Johnny Herbert believes Hamilton is suffering the same issues as Schumacher, 56, did when he came back to the motorsport after a break.
That being the "raw pace just isn't there anymore", a thought which Herbert says is "not nice to see".
Schumacher - whose ex-F1 boss gave an insight into his health battle - retired from F1 in 2006 before returning with Mercedes in 2010, but only achieved one podium in three seasons with the Silver Arrows.
Speaking to InstantWithdrawalBettingSites, Herbert, 60, said: "It just looks like Lewis Hamilton is lost, really lost.
"I don't know if the raw pace that he's always had throughout his career is there anymore.
"I thought, with the pure racing skill Hamilton had, he'd be able to drive around any problems with the car but he seems stuck in a hole. It's not nice to see.
"It's not the first time we've seen it in the sport, though. Nigel Mansell won his championship in 1992, went to America in 1993, came back in 1994 and it didn't work anymore for him.
"It happened with Michael Schumacher too, when he had his break and came back, then he wasn't the same Schumacher as before.
"You're always going to have your peak and an end of your peak. It's not nice to see."
Hamilton's team-mate Charles Leclerc has raised his own complaints about the car and race engineers, but has managed to eke out better results with three podium finishes, including back-to-back in Monaco and Spain.
Herbert added: "I know Charles Leclerc is not happy with the car either, but at least he's getting podium finishes consistently.
"There have been a couple of poor decisions in Ferrari's strategy and poor communication over the radio, Hamilton doesn't have the synergy with his engineer that he needs.
"He hasn't found his comfort zone since the sprint win in China.
"Sometimes you don't realise when it's not as easy as it was before, but when you look across the garage and your team-mate is outperforming you, then it may click.
"The greats of the sport, at their peak, get the best out of their car. Max Verstappen is doing it right now. Hamilton just can't seem to get the extra he needs anymore.
"He won't understand why he can't, because he'll feel like he should be able to. But, Leclerc is outperforming you in the same car. Leclerc is only going to grow and is in control of Ferrari's future.
"He's the guy they can rely on, Ferrari can't rely on Lewis Hamilton at this point. It's horrible to say but it's the truth."
Former Mercedes and McLaren star Hamilton appeared close to tears following the Spanish Grand Prix where he finished P6, even after a penalty for old rival Max Verstappen bumped him up the order.
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Hamilton later apologised to Sky Sports F1 presenter Rachel Brookes after his blunt response to a question, where he snapped: "Well what do you want me to say? I had a really bad day and I've got nothing to say.
'It was a difficult day, I've got nothing else to add to it. There's no point explaining it."
Hamilton will now have next weekend off to help him collect his thoughts before getting back behind the wheel for the Canadian Grand Prix on June 15.
McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris lead the World Drivers Championship, with the Aussie leading by 10 points after claiming victory in Barcelona last weekend.
He has opened up a huge 49-point gap to reigning four-time world champion Verstappen after the Dutchman lost his head and crashed into Mercedes' George Russell when asked to yield his position.
Despite calls to be disqualified, the incident saw the Red Bull driver being given a 10-second time penalty, dropping him from P5 to P10, and slapped with three penalty points on his FIA Super Licence.
That decision has placed him on the brink of a race ban after collecting 11 out of a maximum of 12 penalty points.
The system works on a 12-month rolling timer, but the next time the 27-year-old will see any points taken off his record will be June 30.
Races are due to commence in Montreal and Spielberg before that date, meaning he will have to be on his best behaviour to avoid a ban.
Picking up another point in Canada will mean a ban for his team's home race at the Red Bull Ring, meanwhile, a point in Austria would see him banned for the British Grand Prix on July 6.
Hamilton himself sits P6 in the standings, while his team have squeezed their way into P2.