“Lewis Blew It”: Ex-Ferrari Boss Predicts Worst for Hamilton Pointing at Mounting George Russell Pressure

Tensions are high in the Mercedes garage. The cold shoulders the drivers have been giving each other are reminiscent of the infamous Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton rivalry. The former retired from the sport at the very end of 2016. His counterpart, still very much active and thriving, but not so much, believes Peter Windsor. The Ferrari ex-boss thinks that Hamilton is starting to break.

In F1, the phrase “your teammate is your biggest rival” might be overused, but aptly so. Time and time again, we have seen rivalries between two Formula 1 legends, sometimes a rookie and a seasoned driver. A familiar story is unfolding at the Mercedes Garage yet again and the F1 Pundit is here to unwrap it all.

Ferrari’s ex-boss says Lewis Hamilton is a waning moon

Peter Windsor does not hold back on his commentary and at times takes sharp jibes at the teams and the drivers, including the Formula 1 great, Lewis Hamilton. After the Austrian GP-esque qualifying session for the Sunday race at Lusail, Max Verstappen was on pole. Behind him, the Mercedes drivers managed to qualify for P2 and P3. While watching the qualifying, the Ferrari ex-boss said, “Lewis also blew it on that last lap, unbelievably.”

Windsor patted the backs of the Mercedes team for utilizing the track and the traffic efficiently and intelligently. However, he believes that Lewis is starting to show how long he has been in the sport, and not in a good way. With a much younger and fierce driver as a teammate, he is convinced that Lewis is waning. “That’s very unlike Lewis,” he said.

Fans have seen Sergio Perez break under the pressure mounted on him by his outperforming teammate, and Hamilton outscoring Fernando Alonso as a rookie, in their McLaren days. Perhaps it is a full-circle moment.

Windsor reacted to the qualifying, “There’s no doubt today that Lewis was quick enough to beat George and quick enough therefore, to get relatively near the Red Bull but on that last run, George went slightly quicker. It was as if George was getting ready for that last Q3 run.” Although Hamilton was the quickest in Q2, Russell out-qualified him in the Q3 run.

READ MORE: Mercedes War Gets Uglier as George Russell Insults “Slower” Lewis Hamilton to Favor Max Verstappen

Ticketing the seven-time World Champion, he said, “And Lewis was in oversteer in the middle of one of the corners. That’s very unlike Lewis.” The F1 pundit, who has previously said that Hamilton could not get his eighth title, petitioned that his under-whelming performance could be attributed to his age and a young and ferocious teammate.

From rookie to riches?

Lewis Hamilton exited his dominant era in a relatively rough manner. From the controversial last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that instated Verstappen in his RB dominance, to a winless 2022. Moreover, George Russell, who joined the Mercedes F1 team in 2022, was up on Hamilton by 35 points in his first year. He also took the Mercedes’ only win of the season.

In the past few races, heated and sarcastic exchanges have been broadcast to the fans of the sport. The Japanese Grand Prix was fairly dramatic for the two British drivers. The fight ended in a P5 and P7 for the team. Earlier in the season, during the Monaco Grand Prix, having a 5-second time penalty, Russell wanted to pass Hamilton but was denied by the team. However, in recent races, the younger driver has been more assertive.

Hamilton’s infamous rival and ex-teammate, Nico Rosberg, said in an interview with Sky Sports, “George is the ultimate test, he is a future world champion. It is difficult for Lewis to stay in front.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Lewis Hamilton And George Russell Join Forces To Crush Ferrari’s Inconsistent Challenge Putting Rivalry Aside

The beauty of Formula 1 is its unpredictability. A boring race can end with the most thrilling lap. A 42-year-old can outperform a 22-year-old. A rookie can out-qualify his seasoned and experienced teammate. Whether Lewis Hamilton blew it or not would be decided by the sprint race at the Lusail Circuit. But for his fans, no matter who the British team pairs him with, Hamilton will remain Formula 1’s finest. What are your thoughts on this new, yet familiar rivalry?