Hamilton has 'got a bit of mojo back' ahead of F1 Brazilian GP

12:43, 05 Nov

byOlly Darcy

Former F1 driver and F1 analyst Jolyon Palmer believes that Lewis Hamilton has "got a bit of mojo back" coming into the Brazilian Grand Prix.

“The fact that the cars got a bit more competitive, he can sense that the podium is not too far away."

- Jolyon Palmer on Lewis Hamilton

Since making the move from Mercedes to Ferrari for the 2025 season, the seven-time world champion has struggled mightily in his debut season with the Scuderia, unable to come away with a Grand Prix podium finish in 20 Grands Prix this campaign.

But despite this podium drought that sees him languishing in P6 in the drivers' championship with 146 points, 74 points off the pace of teammate Charles Leclerc, a turnaround in form could be in the offing for Hamilton.

The 40-year-old just missed out on his first Ferrari podium with a P4 finish at the United States Grand Prix, and at the Mexico City Grand Prix, a ten-second time penalty derailed another promising chance after qualifying P3 with a fine lap.

Lewis Hamilton finished P4 at the United States Grand Prix, making it the fourth time he has finished one place off the podium - Photo: Race Pictures

“That gap in qualifying has come down a lot as the year has gone on,” Palmer stated while on the F1 Nation podcast, pointing to Hamilton's improving pace.

“Even if it was still Leclerc ahead of Hamilton on the grid, it was very close in Mexico as well. He’s got a bit of mojo back from nowhere, having had that really tough run.

“The fact that the cars got a bit more competitive, he can sense that the podium is not too far away. He’s going to be just trying desperately to get ahead of Leclerc and trying to see out the year with a podium, and anything more is a bonus.”

Can Hamilton break podium drought in Sao Paulo?

As a result of his podium drought in 2025, Hamilton will finish a season with fewer than five podiums to his name for the first time in his 19-year career.

With his worst-ever season in Formula 1 history beckoning, F1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Johnny Herbert stated that seeing the seven-time champion struggle so much in 2025 has been "horrible to watch".

However, Hamilton has taken three wins at the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix across his career, and there will be huge amounts of support for the 40-year-old from the adoring Sao Paulo fans at Interlagos.

“He loves it, he's always enjoyed Brazil. Even the legendary 2021 year when he had the fight with Max," continued Palmer.

“But he's always gone really well. Obviously, it's his first year with Ferrari there, so he'll be hoping that this is a chance for him to get ahead of Charles on the grid."

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