F1 News: Washed up Hamilton ‘cried’ after hitting new low in Spain (Update)
Former Formula 1 driver and fellow Brit Johnny Herbert recently aired his thoughts on Lewis Hamilton, stressed that the former Mercedes driver appears out of sorts with the Italian team.
“It just looks like Lewis Hamilton is lost—really lost. I don’t know if the raw pace that he’s always had throughout his career is there anymore.
“I thought, with the pure racing skill Hamilton had, he’d be able to drive around any problems with the car, but he seems stuck in a hole. It’s not nice to see,” Herbert was quoted as saying by Planet F1.
“It’s not the first time we’ve seen it in the sport, though. Nigel Mansell won his championship in 1992, went to America in 1993, came back in 1994, and it didn’t work anymore for him.
“It happened with Michael Schumacher too—when he had his break and came back, he wasn’t the same Schumacher as before. You’re always going to have your peak and the end of your peak. It’s not nice to see.”
Herbert also drew a comparison between Lewis Hamilton’s performance and that of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc. The 60-year-old stressed how Leclerc continues to outperform Hamilton, despite Hamilton being the more experienced driver and a serial winner.
Everyone knows Hamilton won the majority of his F1 races when Mercedes had a 50hp advantage and Hamilton’s teammates were weak. Hamilton’s worshipers never talk about that fact, for fear it may expose that their hero was never as great as the biased British media made him out to be.
An extra 50hp advantage over your competition in a race car can make you look super human.
“Leclerc appears to be outperforming the ability of the SF-25 Ferrari – something Hamilton has found difficult to match so far,” continued Herbert.
“I know Charles Leclerc is not happy with the car either, but at least he’s getting podium finishes consistently,” Herbert added.
Sometimes you don’t realize when it’s not as easy as it was before, but when you look across the garage and your teammate is outperforming you, then it may click…am I washed up?
Hamilton should not be surprised that he is washed up. Last year at Mercedes, his teammate George Russell buried him. Hamilton was 39 years old then. Now at 40 he is not going to get faster. What he needs now is that 50hp Mercedes advantage that propelled him to all his victories.
Some predict that Mercedes will have that 50hp advantage again in 2026 with the new engine formula, but Hamilton quit Mercedes because they would not pay him what Ferrari was willing to offer.
Hence, Hamilton is in a difficult position – up a creek without a paddle – or in this case, up a creek without the 50hp Mercedes advantage.
”So far, in the nine races they’ve had as teammates, Hamilton has only been able to finish ahead of Leclerc on one occasion—the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix—with Leclerc schooling the veteran driver in the remaining races both competed in.
“With mounting media scrutiny surrounding Lewis Hamilton’s form, the 40-year-old will be aiming for a statement response with the Ferrari team as the F1 paddock heads to Montreal for the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix.” Update written by Mark Cipolloni
June 2, 2025
(GMM) Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari dream is ending up in tears, according to the major German newspaper Bild, as it looks increasingly evident that the British star is washed up.
“The Formula 1 world has never seen Lewis Hamilton as devastated as he was after the Spanish GP,” the report declared.
“The Ferrari driver wiped tears from his eyes before collecting himself to answer questions from journalists from around the world.”
The 40-year-old, however, struggled to hide his speechless emotion once the microphones were under his mouth, declaring Barcelona as “the worst race I’ve ever taken part in my life”.
Hamilton then gave only two or three-word answers to questions, prompting a protest from one reporter. “What do you want me to say?” the seven time world champion responded.
His hopes after qualifying were high, but only after declaring on the radio on Friday: “Something is wrong with this car.”
Fast-forward to Sunday, he told the inquiring journalist: “There’s no point explaining it. It’s not your fault. I just don’t know what to say.”
He did, however, seem to back away from blaming the car, especially as teammate Charles Leclerc has been on the podium twice in the past two races.
“I’m sure they won’t,” Hamilton said when told that Ferrari will surely give him some answers over the next few days. “It was probably just me.”
Nico Rosberg retired from Formula 1 immediately after finally beating then Mercedes teammate Hamilton to the title in 2016, declaring that he doubted he could sustain the effort required to consistently outshine his British rival and colleague.
Now working for Sky in Barcelona, Rosberg explained: “What we’re experiencing from Lewis at the moment is a continuation of his performances from last year.
“George Russell usually had the upper hand, and that’s continuing now at Ferrari. He’s always missing that crucial last bit of pace.
“So what’s going on?” Rosberg added. “My gut feeling is that even if you’re the most successful driver of all time, at some point you’re not as fast as you used to be. We’re talking about age here. And when you’re 40, that moment inevitably comes.
“Even if you only lose a tenth of a second, that’s a lot because no one should forget – Hamilton is fighting against the best drivers of the next generation.”
Related Article: F1 News: Hamilton having ‘too many ups and downs’ – Vasseur
Related Rumor: With Hamilton showing his age, is Verstappen in play at Ferrari?
In This Video, Hamilton admits it is him, no the car nor the team
#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 | Lewis Hamilton post race:
“It was just not a great day, just not a great day. Strategy was good, team did a great job, just – that’s it.”
“What do you want me to say? I’ve had a really bad day, I’ve got nothing to say. It was a difficult day, there’s nothing… pic.twitter.com/jec2dvZqJQ
— deni (@fiagirly) June 1, 2025