Despite the underwhelming start to the season, pundits and fans of the sport believe that the Englishman could still bounce back in the coming weeks and one of these individuals is former McLaren teammate Jenson Button.
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'He will win races'- Former Champion backs Lewis Hamilton
After narrowly missing the Championship title last season, Hamilton was rumoured to be disillusioned. This season has started poorly, with Hamilton recording only one podium finish and currently sitting in the sixth position on the driver standings after seven races.
Hamilton and Button celebrating their double podium finish in 2010
While speaking in an interview with Virgin Radio, Button explained that Hamilton’s struggles are largely due to the documented issues the W13 has faced.
Hamilton has voiced his dissatisfaction with the Mercedes W13
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The former world champion sympathised with Hamilton, explaining that the car is a disadvantage considering the legendary driver’s pedigree.
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"I think the big shift for Lewis this year is he’s driving a car that isn’t competitive in his world,” said Button.
Critics have pointed out that despite driving the same model, Mercedes newcomer George Russell has enjoyed a far better season than Sir Lewis. Button, who has invaluable experience, shed some light on why that might be.
Sir Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate George Russell (Left)
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"He [ Hamilton] has been fighting for the World Championship since 2014, and his teammate has come, young upstart George Russell, and he’s been competitive.
"George is driving a car that’s better than he was used to, and it has given him confidence, and he can push a bit harder.
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"As for Lewis [Hamilton], if he has a car that’s good enough to win, he will win races." Button said.
A Mental Sport
Whether for McLaren or the Silver Arrows, Lewis Hamilton has proved multiple times that he is an elite driver.
Despite a sorry start to the season, no other driver on the track has nearly as much silverware as Hamilton holds the records for the most wins (103), pole positions (103), and podium finishes (183).
Lewis Hamilton has won a record seven (7) FIA World Driver's Championship Titles
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"Lewis has probably not got so much confidence in the car to extract the maximum out of it. When you’ve had a few bad races, it hurts mentally. This is a mental sport. It’s not just physical.” Button said.
Hamilton will be looking to start his comeback from the Baku GP in Azerbaijan on June 12.
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