“I’m just slow, same every weekend. Car felt relatively decent, no issues, and not really much more to say,” a dejected Lewis Hamilton said after the sprint qualifying session on Friday for the Qatar Grand Prix. Well, the 7-time champion has had a tough time trying to start up top for the races for the entirety of the 2024 season. And with his final two races with Mercedes, Hamilton is perhaps eyeing a wholesome moment to end his run with a race win.

However, with a starting position of P7 on the grid for the sprint race, the Mercedes didn’t have the best start to this race weekend. Now, we all know Mercedes hasn’t been on their A-game for most of the ground effect era. Either Red Bull or McLaren have dominated the qualifying and sprint sessions that they’ve managed to convert them to podium finishes and victories.

For a driver who holds the record for the most number of wins (104) in F1 to start the race close to mid-pack feels like a step-down. But the concern is that the 39-year-old hasn’t been able to draw level with his teammate George Russell in the 22 races so far. Hamilton has been able to out-qualify Russell only six times this season.

Well, age can be a factor here, and perhaps Lewis Hamilton has lost his fire in getting the most out of his race car. Seeing him doubt himself is indeed a bleak sight, but not everyone is feeling the same about Hamilton. His arch-rival, Max Verstappen, surprisingly came out in his support, stating, “It has been tough for him to get motivated fully this year because he knows he is leaving the team. As soon as he had a competitive car, you could see he really stepped up. I don’t think he will ever lose it. He has achieved so much.”

Throughout the ground effect era, Lewis Hamilton was far from his best. The lack of wins in 2022 and 2023 left a mark on the driver until he made a spectacular return during his home race in 2024. With the 2024 British GP win, Hamilton sparked a massive comeback, going on to win the Belgian GP as well after George Russell was disqualified. Both Hamilton and Verstappen traded blows for multiple years before the Red Bull star finally got the better of his rival. While there are no signs of bad blood between the two, the same cannot be said for the fans supporting them. Verstappen extending his support to Lewis Hamilton in his struggling phase did come as a surprise for the fans, but they did appreciate this classy gesture.

Max Verstappen has certainly matured after all these years

For the fourth year in a row, Verstappen was able to clinch the championship crown. But unlike the last three years, he had a tough road to triumph; he had to overcome a 10-race winless streak to defend his title from charging Landon Norris. So he understands the change in dynamics and how racing can quickly become a humbling sport even for titans like Lewis Hamilton. Seeing Max acting maturely and trying to lift Hamilton’s spirit was heart-touching, which goes to show the respect he shares for his long-time rival. Sharing a similar sentiment, a fan wrote, “What a nice thing to say, you can see how much max respects lewis.”

Mercedes has been Hamilton’s home for the past 11 seasons. While 2024 has been a dull outing for the team in general, it was Hamilton who helped them get their first F1 silverware, winning the championship in 2014. Since then, he’s gone on to add six more, but this love affair will finally come to an end after the conclusion of the two races. And this might be the reason why Hamilton’s lack of focus on the track. “Lewis has just mentally checked out from Merc at this point. He’s gonna be quick asf in Ferrari next year anyone who says otherwise is delulu.”

We all know what happened in Abu Dhabi in 2021; this was the first time Max Verstappen was able to eclipse his rival to win his maiden championship. There was a lot of controversy in the manner in which the late race restart took place. But despite being on the bitter end of things, Hamilton took the defeat on his chin and even congratulated Max on his achievement. And it looks like the fiery Verstappen did learn a thing or two from his classy opponent, “Never thought I’d see the day that Max will compliment Lewis like this.”

This was also an opportunity for the trolls and meme pages to have their say. It’s not every day you see Max Verstappen speaking nicely about his on-track rivals. So, this was indeed a big moment, one that most of the Verstappen fans didn’t expect. “We got max defending Lewis before GTA VI.”

Ferrari has been trying to rebuild their ship to reclaim the top spot in Formula 1. Hamilton’s signing was indeed a step in that direction, and they are on the hunt to win the constructors championship this year; 2008 was the year when they last bagged this title. Ferrari fans were left worried about how Lewis accepted him losing his magic on the racetrack. But Verstappen’s assurance has certainly helped settle the nerves of those who were worried about their new star driver. “thanks Max. Lewis had me REAL worried.”

It won’t be surprising to see Max go back to being his usual self if Hamilton manages to find his lost mojo at Ferrari next year.