The name Lewis Hamilton sparks a lot of emotions and nostalgia for F1 fans. The seven-time world champion is going through a rough patch ahead of a change of scenery next season. Ahead of the Qatar GP, Hamilton finished the qualifiers in the 7th position with a time of 0.462. While this might not seem to be too bad, Hamilton’s reaction is what broke hearts.

A lot has indeed been happening with Lewis Hamilton over the last few months, especially with him bidding adieu to Mercedes after the cold fiasco. While Hamilton is all set to embrace his new journey with Ferrari in a short while, his admission after the qualifiers furthered fans’ doubts about his desire to drive any more races for Mercedes.

Hamilton brands himself to be a slow driver after the qualifier

The seven-time World Champion sits 7th in the driver’s standings, whereas his teammate George Russell sits right above him. While Russel’s performances are impressive, considering Hamilton’s reputation, fans are left wanting a bit more. While there has been ample resonance from fans that this might not be a Lewis Hamilton thing, he just had one reaction: “I’m definitely not fast anymore”. A heartbreaking revelation for his fans.

Currently, Hamilton finds himself tied with his teammate for race wins this season. He is currently trailing George Russell by just nine points in the driver standings as the season is all set to come to an end with two more races. Despite the Drivers Championship already being secured by Max Verstappen, there is a lot of pride left to fight for. However, Hamilton seems to have resigned to the fact that he feels the same every weekend.

Lewis Hamilton was seen reflecting on his performance in Lusail where he mentioned that the W15 did not present him with any challenges as such. He said, “I’m just slow. Same every weekend. The car felt relatively decent, with no issues, not really much more to say…The long run didn’t feel too bad but when you’re always back where I am it makes it almost impossible to be competing for wins”. 

Given that his teammate George Russell and the current safe bet for Mercedes have been able to show consistent performance, Hamilton further added, “The positive is that the car is fast, George should be able to shoot for pole tomorrow”. George finished the Sprint Qualifier in second position with a time of +0.063. With Russell’s consistent performances and Hamilton’s struggles continuing, the spotlight now shifts to whether the seven-time champion can turn things around in the final two races or if Mercedes will fully back their rising star for future success.

Fans were understanding of Lewis’ frustrations and called out Mercedes.

Fans react to Hamilton’s stance, questioning Mercedes’ practices 

It seems that although Hamilton might be on the go to avoid any kind of controversies before he embraces his new journey, fans have been pouring in their notions.

Reacting to his comment of being slow, a fan mentioned, “lol I’ve been following Lewis his whole career read between the lines I’ll say . He’s saying a lot without saying anything”. While it has been clear to a lot of fans that Mercedes is probably not aiding him the way it should, the driver has been stating otherwise.

Another fan added to this saying, “He’s not interested he’s ready for the season to be over”. Given that Lewis Hamilton will be seen last driving for Mercedes this season and the 2025 year will be seeing him with Ferrari, fans might not be very wrong. After all, when the commitment lies with another team, why should one get their hands dirty in a public feud? 

If we look at the magnanimous career that Hamilton has achieved till now, 104 poles are accounted for under his name. Given that this is higher than any other driver, his statement of pushing George Russell comes as quite a read between the line statements. A fan pointed out the same and mentioned, “He is speaking between the lines. Due to his contract, he cannot explicitly say that the team is sabotaging him, so he uses irony by saying that he is no longer fast, which is something absurd, considering he has won poles more than anyone”. 

While George Russell continues to top the leaderboard, and Lewis Hamilton consistently gets knocked off for the season, it has become clear to fans that Mercedes is up to something. After all, why invest in a driver who will be moving to another team in the upcoming season anyway? Pointing out the same, a fan mentioned, “The guy is so over this Mercedes nonsense”. Another fan added to the same sentiment and mentioned, “tough seeing him admit it”. 

As speculation swirls and fans dissect every word, Hamilton’s future with Ferrari looms large, leaving Mercedes’ intentions under scrutiny. Whether his final races with the team will bring redemption or resignation remains to be seen.