Lewis Hamilton has mounted some commendable recovery drives this season. But after a Q2 exit at the Hungarian Grand Prix, he was unable to make any progress.
When Hamilton was knocked out in qualifying for the Emilia Romagna GP, Ferrari’s home race, he rallied to fourth place. And a perfectly-timed pit-stop saw him climb to seventh in Belgium last month after a disastrous Q1 elimination.
Here, Ferrari tried an alternative strategy – Hamilton was the only driver to start on the hard tyres. Without a safety car, he was at risk of losing ground when cars ahead made earlier pit stops.
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The trade-off was that he’d have fresher medium rubber for his second and final stint. While Hamilton was able to make a handful of overtakes, he became stuck behind Kimi Antonelli, who scored the final point, and Isack Hadjar.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ F1 Show after the Hungarian Grand Prix, pundit Jamie Chadwick expressed sympathy for Hamilton. She pointed out that he couldn’t ‘attack’ after early instructions from Ferrari.
Engineer Riccardo Adami told him to lift and coast on lap three, and then again on laps eight and 12. The technique helps to cool the car and protect the underfloor plank (a recurring issue for Ferrari this season), but naturally sacrifices lap time in braking zones.
Hamilton didn’t execute any overtakes before he made his pit stop. Teammate Charles Leclerc was fighting for victory before a mysterious issue led to a dramatic drop-off in pace; he ultimately finished fourth.
“It’s been a really tough few races,” Chadwick said. “In that race, lap seven [sic], he was being told to lift more to manage overheating. As a driver, you’re already having a tough weekend, and you’re told you can’t even attack to try and make up for it.
“He just had a tough weekend. It’s compounded issues that we’ve seen earlier in the year. Part of the reason he’s so down on himself and so frustrated is because he’s gone there to try and win an eighth world title.
“Even if you just have one or two bad weekends, that’s frustrating when he knows what he’s there to try and achieve.
“It’s very hard listening to be honest. I really hope the summer break gives time for not just him, but Ferrari, to reflect and find a way out to get the best out of him. It’s not nice for anyone to hear that, but particularly from a driving point of view.”
Martin Brundle drops Lewis Hamilton retirement hint after Budapest woes
Hamilton’s F1 future is somewhat in doubt after he suggested that Ferrari need to replace him in an extraordinary post-qualifying interview.
18 months ago, Hamilton penned a two-year Ferrari deal that’s believed to contain the option for a further season. He’s the second-oldest driver on the grid at the age of 40.
Martin Brundle can’t see Hamilton racing until 2027 unless a solution is found. Much will depend on whether he can rediscover his confidence in the new generation of cars next year.
Hamilton’s run of 16 races without a podium finish – stretching back to the end of his Mercedes tenure – is the worst of his career. He’s recorded at least five top-three finishes every single year since 2007.