Changing of the Guard? Coulthard’s Analysis on Hamilton’s Recent Struggles Sparks Debate

Lewis Hamilton "shift in dominance" examination will "displease many"

"Similar to a football player who loses some speed, he remains valuable to the squad"

David Coulthard suggests that Lewis Hamilton's struggles during qualifying this season could indicate a shift in dominance.

This year, Hamilton has outperformed his Mercedes teammate George Russell in just four out of 15 qualifying rounds.

At Zandvoort last week, Hamilton experienced an uncommon setback, being eliminated in Q2, and subsequently stated that his weekend was over.

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard attempted to analyze Lewis Hamilton's difficulties during Saturday's performance while speaking on Channel 4, stating, "I don't have an explanation."

"The ability to qualify a car is what sets drivers like Lewis apart from those who are just good. Regardless of the conditions, they consistently manage to find a competitive lap time."

"All of that has, sort of, accompanied George!"

"It feels like a shift in leadership. I understand this might upset many, as Lewis still has significant achievements ahead of him."

"Similar to a football player who has lost some speed, he remains valuable to the team, though not as effective as he once was."

It seems that the natural progression might be for Lewis to move to Ferrari, allowing Mercedes to bring in Kimi Antonelli to determine if he's the promising young talent to challenge George.

Hamilton is in his last year with Mercedes before he moves to Ferrari in 2025.

Many anticipate that teenage sensation Antonelli will take his place at Mercedes next year.

Coulthard reviewed the qualifying session from last weekend at Zandvoort, where Hamilton ended up in 12th place. He remarked, "Heading into qualifying, I believed it would mainly be a competition between Mercedes and McLaren, with Max figuring out where he could position himself among them."

"[Hamilton] appeared to lose some ground, despite the conditions remaining relatively consistent throughout."

This indicates to me that during the free practice sessions, they were pushing their engine and performance capabilities to the edge.

“When the moment arrived, Red Bull had extra reserves to draw from.”

Lando delivered an incredible lap, showcasing the power of McLaren's Mercedes engine and making the primary team appear mediocre in comparison.

"Lewis had no words when informed of his dismissal."

Hamilton experienced a tough weekend in the Netherlands after a celebratory stretch in which he secured victories in two out of three races, including the one at Silverstone.

This weekend, during the F1 Italian Grand Prix, he will head to the home nation of his soon-to-be team, Ferrari, with the goal of demonstrating that Coulthard is mistaken.

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