There are concerns about Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari (Image: Getty)
Former Brabham and F1 driver Mark Blundell believes that ’s qualifying struggles should not be a major cause of concern for and that he has not lost his ability to wring pace from cars on Saturdays.
The 2024 season was, in many statistical regards, the worst of Hamilton’s glittering career. He finished a career-lowest P7 in the Drivers’ Championship and was beaten 19-5 in qualifying by team-mate .
While the lows were extremely low, there were some standout moments for the legendary Brit. He ended a 945-day winless streak with a record ninth British Grand Prix victory and then followed that up with another triumph in Belgium. Comeback drives in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi made it clear that his race pace was still impeccable.
According to Blundell, Hamilton’s qualifying struggles are nothing to be too concerned about. Speaking to Express Sport, in association with , he said: “I definitely think he can fight for a world championship. Again, it depends on what delivers him to get that done.
“But I think with Lewis, it just shows there’s experience and consistency there that over the course of the season, yes, it could count towards a championship because that’s exactly what you need – so exactly what Max has done in his latter stages where the car has not been quite so good.
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Mark Blundell is not concerned about Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying pace (Image: Getty)
“It has been that consistency. So, I think Lewis has still got the capability. There’s been these question marks over his one-lap performance and whether there’s just quite the dynamic there to get that achieved.
“But you know, I think when you’re at the cutting edge, those one laps, you really need everything to come together to put that performance in play. And sometimes if something’s just a little bit off, you’re not going to get the benefit of it.
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“Between Saturday and Sunday, it’s not like the guy is wrapping up two seconds of lap time in a box and giving it away, as shown with his race pace on Sunday in the Grand Prix. He’s still an outstanding driver. And I think that showed again in the Grand Prix itself.”
If Hamilton is to fight Charles Leclerc for a World Championship in 2025, then he needs to rebuild his qualifying confidence early doors. The Brit labelled himself “just slow” and “definitely not fast anymore” towards the end of the season as his Saturday woes intensified relative to Russell.