Lewis Hamilton’s age was brought up by his former McLaren team-mate Jenson Button (Image: AP)
Former champion claimed that ‘s dwindling reaction times could be the cause for his disappointing qualifying performances. While the Brit was fastest in both practice sessions ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Sunday (November 24), he trails team-mate 16-5 across qualifying this season.
With just three qualifying sessions left in 2024, for only the second time in his 12-year tenure with the Silver Arrows, the 39-year-old will lose this year’s head-to-head. His struggles this season have potentially been pinned down to his age, according to his former team-mate, who suggested Hamilton’s reaction times are inferior to those of the younger drivers on the grid.
“He’s almost 40 years old and maybe you do lose a tiny bit,” the 2009 world champion told Sky F1 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. “You are racing against 20-year-olds. Your reactions, however good they are, are still not going to be as good as a 20-year-old’s reactions.
“You can possibly lose that slight edge which wouldn’t show up in a race but I think in qualifying that is where it does become a little bit more difficult. It hurts, it does when you see the younger drivers suddenly, not just quick in qualifying but it is the consistency they can put in in qualifying.”
After a dismal qualifying performance in Brazil earlier this month, where Hamilton failed to make it out of Q1 in a wet qualifying session, he admitted at the time just how low he was feeling. “I didn’t really want to come back after that weekend,” he confirmed to Sky.
“But, I think that’s only natural, you know. It’s frustrating when you have a season like this, which I’m pretty sure I won’t have again, or at least I’ll work towards not having again. Yeah, it just wasn’t a great feeling in that moment, but I’m here, I’m standing strong and I’m going to give it absolutely everything for these last few races,” he added.
Hamilton and Button were team-mates at McLaren (Image: Getty)
Despite his worries about his ex-colleague, Button showed confidence in seeing the “best of Lewis” for the remainder of the season. Turning 40 in January, Hamilton will soon begin his new journey with next year and remains steadfast in his belief that .
Speaking to , he said: “I’m in such a good place, physically and mentally. My reaction times are still quicker than the young guys. I think I’m a better driver than I was at 22. I was just young, energetic and ruthless, but no finesse, no balance. I didn’t know how to be a team player, how to be a leader. Being a good racing driver, it’s not just about being fast, it’s about being the most rounded.”