Verstappen Sympathizes with Hamilton’s Ferrari Struggles

Max Verstappen understands why Lewis Hamilton is struggling so much with his new team, Ferrari. The seven-time world champion has not yet reached the podium in a main race during his debut season with Scuderia. According to the Dutchman, this is probably because Hamilton ‘cannot be himself’ at Ferrari. In addition, ‘his age is also not working in his favor’, Verstappen concludes.

Lewis Hamilton began his new adventure in Ferrari red full of good spirits. However, the Brit’s courage has sunk towards the end of the season, as he threatens to close his first year with Scuderia without a podium finish in a main race. The latest blow for Hamilton came during the sprint qualification in Qatar. The Brit was already out of the session in SQ1 and starts the shortened race from the eighteenth spot.

Max Verstappen – Hamilton’s major rival in 2021 – shows understanding for the situation of the seven-time world champion. “If you don’t feel safe or comfortable within the team dynamics, you can’t be yourself and that has consequences,” Verstappen said in an interview with PA. “He left a team that was like his second family at Mercedes and where he built such a career. Everyone benefited from that, Mercedes and Lewis, and then it’s not easy to take a completely different path, while you also have to compete against someone (Charles Leclerc, ed.) who has been there for a while. That’s very difficult.”

Age

Hamilton was a driver at Mercedes between 2013 and 2024. During his time with the Silver Arrows, the Brit won six driver titles. According to Verstappen, it also doesn’t help Hamilton that he turned forty last January. “His age is also not working in his favor. At that age, you don’t get faster. You don’t necessarily get slower, but certainly not faster, while Charles is still improving, so that doesn’t help him either.” Leclerc finished higher than Hamilton sixteen times during a Grand Prix race this year.