Why ‘abject’ Lewis Hamilton may not be as bad as fans think

Jolyon Palmer has argued that Lewis Hamilton is not performing as poorly as it seems — it’s just been a series of small mistakes that have cost him performance.

Once those small mistakes have been ironed out, Hamilton will once again become a strong competitor.

Lewis Hamilton still capable of strong performances, argues Palmer

Lewis Hamilton’s blockbuster move to Scuderia Ferrari has been fraught with trouble since the start of the F1 2025 season, prompting many to wonder if the seven-time World Champion has lost his touch.

Though Hamilton has finished in the points in every race except two — the most recent outing at Hungary, and the disqualification he received in China — he’s currently sitting a lowly sixth overall in the drivers’ championship standings, with only 109 points to his name.

Further, his one-lap pace in qualifying has been dismal, forcing the driver to compensate for poor starts come race day. While he’s been able to easily fight for position, Hamilton has proclaimed himself “useless” as a result of his struggles.

Lewis Hamilton vs Charles Leclerc: Ferrari head-to-head scores for F1 2025

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

But ask former Renault F1 driver turned F1TV commentator Jolyon Palmer, and you’ll find a sympathetic ear.

“Small things have gone against him in the last races,” Palmer alleged on a recent episode of F1 Nation.

According to the former driver, Hamilton has faced two key problems: His teammate, and his qualifying pace.

Charles Leclerc is “frighteningly quick,” Palmer says.

“He’s exceptionally fast, and he’s actually probably underrated in race trim as well. He is really a top driver.”

And then there’s Hamilton’s qualifying performance. Palmer pointed out three recent races at Silverstone, Spa, and Budapest to illustrate his point.

In Silverstone, Palmer says, “I still think Hamilton could have had pole.

“He was flying, and he looked to be back to his best with the floor upgrade that was in, and he made a bit of a mistake in the final couple of corners, and it cost him the margin that was there for pole.

“He was up on Verstappen coming into the last couple of corners.

“Then you had Spa, which was, on paper, a complete disaster.

“On the first lap of Sprint quali, he was quite solidly up on Leclerc, but he had the oversteer coming into Stavelot, lost the lap time, and then the spin at the Bus Stop when he was already up against it. But the pace was still there.

“And then in quali for real, he cut the corner at the top of Raidillon and lost a very solid lap time.

“We didn’t see the pace of Lewis Hamilton at Spa, and in Budapest, he was missing, what, a couple of tenths?

“The Ferrari looked tricky, and suddenly they found the sweet spot in Q3. Hamilton was out. Leclerc was still in. Leclerc goes pole.

“It’s feasible Hamilton could have been still at least top five in qualifying that day with a deficit to Leclerc, and we’d be talking very, very differently.”

The reason Hamilton’s pace seems to be so dramatically worse than in the past is simply because “we’re not used to Lewis making these sort of mistakes,” which Palmer suggests is down to “the pressure he’s under in terms of one-lap pace.” The results, then look “abject for a seven-time world champ.”

“But he’s not far from putting it together, and at least being closer to Charles again,” Palmer reasoned.

The former Renault driver pointed out that racing for Scuderia Ferrari comes along with an intense amount of pressure, though “it’s not unprecedented for drivers to go and work successfully at Ferrari.” He noted Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso as being two drivers to accomplish that feat to go on and win races, even if they weren’t able to secure championships.

“And I think that’s where Hamilton can get to,” Palmer concluded.

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