Seven-time Formula 1 World Champion, Lewis Hamilton’s search for his “back then” performance seems to be eluding him.
“Back then” being when Hamilton was the most dominant force on the F1 track. If you recall those days, someone would put in a pole time, and Lewis would just step up two-tenths, and beat it.
My suit didn’t come back from the cleaners…
We’ve been making excuses for Lewis for some time now, hoping that at each new race there will be a revival of the Hamilton of old. The good news is that the downward trajectory seems to have stalled.
The bad news is that it’s plateaued out somewhere between the upper and lower midfield. Not a place that we associate with the hundred-and-five-win record-holding World Champion.
I had a flat tyre…
Like Fernando Alonso, the race craft is still there. Both drivers still stand head and shoulders above the rest of the grid, even Max Verstappen, when it comes to cunning.
Unfortunately, in Ferrari’s 2025 offering, it’s not enough. The fitness levels are still there, and I’m skeptical of any assertions that the mental capacity has deteriorated.
However, a driving style that served Hamilton well in the past may no longer be relevant.
The body is willing but…
Brain plasticity does not decline with age, but like any muscle, it can atrophy if not used. Nico Rosberg was moved to comment in Spain that the new generation spends a lot of time in or on a sim. It might not be the real thing, but they are good enough to sharpen your skills and continually refine the driver’s memory models.
In simple terms, it is our brain’s memory models that allow us to predict the future position of ourselves and external objects three-dimensionally. Repetition plays a big part in refining the “predictions”, which is why a combination of practice and experience makes perfect.
The better your model for a particular activity, the better you can perform. A fact well known to professional athletes and musicians. Sims allow the drivers to hone skills outside of the limited testing and at upcoming circuits.
Unfortunately, it is well known that Lewis doesn’t do sims, or not to the level of the new kids.
Lost…
Some put Hamilton’s lackluster performance down to the loss of that World Champion “need to be the best and crush the competition” imperative. I don’t think that’s left, it’s just not his priority anymore.
Lewis appears to be surrounded by distractions at a time when he needs to revisit how he drives a modern F1 car. It’s a rude and confusing awakening when you suddenly discover that what you did without thinking is not delivering results.
Sim-ple solution
Some aspects of his memory models are clearly not suited to these heavy, understeer-led F1 machines. Some serious sim time experimentation and practice could well be the solution to his woes.
Parc Ferme is not suggesting sims are the be-all and end-all – they’re not. However, they are accurate enough to provide “real” track reference points for braking, gear change timings, and the general flow of the corners. The innate talent and skills are still there; they just need to be re-framed and upgraded.
C’mon, Lewis, focus, give us some “Hammer Time” again. Get the eighth world championship done in 2026 at Ferrari and settle all this GOAT malarkey once and for all.