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‘Something’s not working’ – Martin Brundle doesn’t buy Lewis Hamilton’s reason for Ferrari struggles
Martin Brundle delivered a scathing review of Lewis Hamilton’s struggles by claiming that he doesn’t buy the Ferrari driver’s excuses. Seven-time world champion Hamilton has admitted that he does not understand the SF-25 after struggling again in Saudi Arabia. Leclerc put the Ferrari on a podium, but Hamilton finished 31 seconds behindAFP The 40-year-old finished the race 31 seconds behind his team-mate Charles Leclerc, who claimed a podium spot in Jeddah. Aside from a shock sprint victory in China, Hamilton has failed to find his form at the Scuderia, having lost to Leclerc in every grand prix. The ex-Mercedes man qualified and finished seventh in Saudi Arabia before revealing a worrying admission over his lack of pace. Over the race weekend, Hamilton admitted that he is ‘just not gelling with the car’, but the explanation left commentator Brundle baffled. “[Ferrari team principal] Fred [Vasseur] summed it up, he said it’s been up and down, because there was a time when we talked about in commentary where he was in the mid 1:32s, which was bang on the pace,” Brundle said on Sky Sports. “He ended up 31 seconds behind Charles Leclerc, his team-mate. Obviously had a little bit more traffic because he was further down the grid, so you can take some off for that, but it was up and down. “I struggle to buy into he doesn’t understand the car. It’s a new car [but] here we are knocking on the door of May, and they’ve had all the preseason stuff and all that. “So I just think Lewis hasn’t gelled with this car, and I don’t think he’s going the right way on the setup. “I know from the things I’ve heard from Mercedes about how Lewis likes the car in a certain way. “Obviously can’t get the car there, where he needs it, so it’s difficult days. But what’s a bit odd is, all of a sudden, he was right there.” Hamilton admitted that he didn’t feel comfortable during the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Hamilton is not the only driver on the grid adapting to a new car, as Brundle pointed to the former’s Mercedes successor, Kimi Antonelli. Haas’ Oliver Bearman impressed on his stand-in Ferrari debut in Saudi Arabia last year after Carlos Sainz underwent surgery for appendicitis. Brundle added: “Bearman, it took him in a day last year here, but then he wasn’t relearning a car. He was just getting in and learning a car. “But Antonelli, he’s got used to working with [race engineer] Bono quite quickly in working with that car. He did a lot of testing last year. “I’m struggling to buy into that, honestly, but we know Lewis is better. Lewis is faster than that. “So something’s not working. Something’s not gelling there.” Hamilton has been outqualified in successive races by predecessor Sainz in a WilliamsAFP A tenth-place finish at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix was followed by a disqualification in China for Hamilton. Having won the Chinese sprint the day before, Hamilton was found to have a skid block breach during the Grand Prix as he finished sixth. In Japan, he limped home in seventh before a slight improvement came at the Bahrain Grand Prix as he finished fifth. But the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix has presented another setback for Hamilton, who recently downplayed his chances of a race win in red.
Martin Brundle delivered a scathing review of Lewis Hamilton’s struggles by claiming that he doesn’t buy the Ferrari driver’s excuses.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton has admitted that he does not understand the SF-25 after struggling again in Saudi Arabia.
The 40-year-old finished the race 31 seconds behind his team-mate Charles Leclerc, who claimed a podium spot in Jeddah.
Aside from a shock sprint victory in China, Hamilton has failed to find his form at the Scuderia, having lost to Leclerc in every grand prix.
The ex-Mercedes man qualified and finished seventh in Saudi Arabia before revealing a worrying admission over his lack of pace.
Over the race weekend, Hamilton admitted that he is ‘just not gelling with the car’, but the explanation left commentator Brundle baffled.
“[Ferrari team principal] Fred [Vasseur] summed it up, he said it’s been up and down, because there was a time when we talked about in commentary where he was in the mid 1:32s, which was bang on the pace,” Brundle said on Sky Sports.
“He ended up 31 seconds behind Charles Leclerc, his team-mate. Obviously had a little bit more traffic because he was further down the grid, so you can take some off for that, but it was up and down.
“I struggle to buy into he doesn’t understand the car. It’s a new car [but] here we are knocking on the door of May, and they’ve had all the preseason stuff and all that.
“So I just think Lewis hasn’t gelled with this car, and I don’t think he’s going the right way on the setup.
“I know from the things I’ve heard from Mercedes about how Lewis likes the car in a certain way.
“Obviously can’t get the car there, where he needs it, so it’s difficult days. But what’s a bit odd is, all of a sudden, he was right there.”
Hamilton is not the only driver on the grid adapting to a new car, as Brundle pointed to the former’s Mercedes successor, Kimi Antonelli.
Haas’ Oliver Bearman impressed on his stand-in Ferrari debut in Saudi Arabia last year after Carlos Sainz underwent surgery for appendicitis.
Brundle added: “Bearman, it took him in a day last year here, but then he wasn’t relearning a car. He was just getting in and learning a car.
“But Antonelli, he’s got used to working with [race engineer] Bono quite quickly in working with that car. He did a lot of testing last year.
“I’m struggling to buy into that, honestly, but we know Lewis is better. Lewis is faster than that.
“So something’s not working. Something’s not gelling there.”
A tenth-place finish at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix was followed by a disqualification in China for Hamilton.
Having won the Chinese sprint the day before, Hamilton was found to have a skid block breach during the Grand Prix as he finished sixth.
In Japan, he limped home in seventh before a slight improvement came at the Bahrain Grand Prix as he finished fifth.
But the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix has presented another setback for Hamilton, who recently downplayed his chances of a race win in red.
