Lewis Hamilton performance ‘disappeared’ theory emerges amid F1 2024 issues:

— Marc Priestley, a former McLaren mechanic, suggested that Lewis Hamilton’s performance in 2024 “clearly disappeared,” not due to a loss of talent, but possibly due to the “specific” demands of the current Formula 1 cars.

“It’s not like Lewis has lost talent, just is it this particular car doesn’t suit the way that he drives?” Priestley stated on the Fuelling Around podcast.

— Despite being outqualified by teammate George Russell 19-5 in 2024, Hamilton secured two wins, matching Russell’s victory tally.

“But Lewis’ performance this year in the Mercedes has clearly disappeared, and it’s clearly disappeared even in comparison to his own team-mate particularly in qualifying. He just cannot match him,” Priestley noted.

— Hamilton’s upcoming move to Ferrari in 2025 raised debates about whether Ferrari made the right decision in replacing Carlos Sainz.

“I think fans will look at the decision at Ferrari and they’ll say ‘Look at Lewis’ performances right now, and then look at Carlos’ performance right now, they’ve made a terrible mistake at Ferrari and they should’ve stuck with Carlos.’” Priestley said.

— Priestley also pointed to modern F1 cars being highly specific in their handling requirements, which may not align with Hamilton’s driving style.

“Particularly this new generation of cars, is it just a case that a certain type of car’s characteristic doesn’t suit a particular driver’s driving style, and some of them find it hard to adapt to that,” he added.

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