Nico Rosberg has commented on Lewis Hamilton‘s current form, suggesting that age might be starting to affect his performance. Rosberg, a former world champion and ex-teammate of Hamilton, notes that the 40-year-old Brit is still a great, but time waits for no one. Especially next to someone like Charles Leclerc, the years might be starting to count.
Lewis Hamilton, who switched from Mercedes to Ferrari this season, has often had to concede to teammate Charles Leclerc in the past eight Grands Prix. The Monegasque was particularly superior to Hamilton on Saturdays, something Nico Rosberg has noticed. “It’s actually a continuation of what we already saw at Mercedes last year,” Rosberg told Sky Sports. “There was already a slight decline visible, and Russell often had the upper hand. He even finished above Hamilton in the championship.”
Struggle with Charles Leclerc
“Now you see a difference in speed at Ferrari again, especially during the qualifications,” Rosberg added. “Leclerc is exceptionally fast on Saturdays, so Hamilton really needs to work on that.” At forty years old, Hamilton is currently the second oldest driver on the grid, behind veteran Fernando Alonso. However, it seems as if the decline has set in earlier for Hamilton than for his Spanish rival, Rosberg thinks.
“Even the greatest of all time become a bit slower at some point,” the German explained. “That’s just age-related. When you’re forty, that’s going to happen sooner or later. The question is whether that moment has arrived for Hamilton. A tenth of a second can already be decisive in this sport, especially when you have to compete against someone like Leclerc, who is considered one of the best qualifiers of his generation.” During the qualification for the Spanish GP, Hamilton did manage to deal with his younger teammate. He clocked the fifth time, Leclerc came seventh.”
