2024: A Challenging Year
Aside from his two victories at Silverstone and Spa, Lewis Hamilton’s season has been as peculiar as it was difficult. Peculiar because even before the championship began, the seven-time world champion knew he would part ways with Mercedes at the end of the year, having signed a contract with Ferrari starting in 2025. Difficult due to the challenges faced by #44 and some mistakes that raised eyebrows, such as those in the recent Qatar race, including a false start and speeding in the pit lane. The car was generally not to Hamilton’s liking, and he even described himself as “slow” in the Qatar race.
Jenson Button’s Take
The idea that Lewis Hamilton might be dealing with an inferior car compared to George Russell’s—who secured two consecutive pole positions—remains highly unlikely. This was firmly confirmed by 2009 world champion Jenson Button, now a Sky Sports pundit and Hamilton’s former teammate at McLaren: “For the fans to know, no team ever wants one of their drivers to be slow—they never do,” he explained. “So, Lewis will have the same equipment. Sometimes teams make a slight improvement to one car over the other, especially for the driver who is staying. The same goes for Sergio Perez. They want them to be fast.”
Toto Wolff’s Opinion
Jenson Button’s remarks came in response to rumors of an alleged Mercedes conspiracy against Hamilton, which Team Principal Toto Wolff dismissed as nonsense: “I haven’t read the comments, I’ve just heard about this nonsense appearing,” the Austrian said after the Qatar GP. “You can talk endlessly about the toxic environment on social media, but I’ve always said it: people hide behind a screen, create an account, and post these comments. I wonder who has the time to comment. We love our fans—they contribute to who we are. As for those who think they need to create absurd, fabricated conspiracies, they don’t even bother me. They’re just idiots. They don’t understand anything. They’ve probably never been near a race car—maybe not even a regular car. You’ll have to show me some of that stuff, just for a laugh. My message to those who feel free to give us their comments: no one reads what you write.” – he concluded.
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