Hamilton’s Spa struggles raise eyebrows as pundits question his form

11:33, 26 Jul

Updated: 11:35, 26 Jul

Co-author:Samson Ero

byTim Kraaij

Lewis Hamilton was barely coherent after the sprint qualifying session in Belgium. Dutch racing figures Indy Dontje and Tom Coronel noted that the Brit was struggling with the car's underperformance.

Lewis Hamilton failed to advance beyond SQ1 on Friday, finishing a disappointing eighteenth. His final lap, which looked strong enough to place him within the top fifteen, was undone by a costly spin heading into the final chicane.

Speaking to F1 TV afterward, Hamilton admitted the mistake was his own—something he said had never happened before in his career. Although Martin Brundle offered some defence of the seven-time world champion, it was ultimately an uncharacteristic error from Hamilton.

What's going wrong with Lewis Hamilton?

The latter, in particular, struck a nerve with Hamilton, as Indy Dontje remarked during Viaplay’s Vroom broadcast:

"Do you know how much it hurts as a driver to admit that? That’s just a rookie ‘mistake.”

After watching the interview, Tom Coronel also weighed in on Hamilton’s state of mind:

"What is happening here and what I see in him—he can’t even put his words together. He just didn’t know where to look anymore.”

The sprint race on Saturday will be a tough task for Lewis Hamilton, after which he will get a second chance during qualifying for the Grand Prix on Sunday. With five victories, Hamilton is the driver on the current grid with the most wins at Spa-Francorchamps. Only Michael Schumacher has claimed more victories at the iconic Belgian circuit.