Lewis Hamilton has denied an ex-Mercedes engineer’s claim that there is a drop in his commitment when he isn’t provided a Formula 1 car that he can win races with.
Hamilton entered F1’s regulation overhaul in 2022 with at least eight victories in each season since 2014, but Mercedes’ setbacks saw him end the campaign winless.
Although the German marque rose one spot to second in the Constructors’ Championship last term, Hamilton completed a second consecutive season without a win.
But while its woes extended into the nascent stages of 2024, Mercedes has adopted an aggressive development scheme which has elevated it back to the sharp end.
Hamilton capitalised on Mercedes’ revival to end his protracted drought with a record-matching ninth win at Silverstone and replicated that two races later in Belgium.
Erstwhile Mercedes engineer Philipp Brändle told Motorsport-Total that Hamilton’s turnaround in results reflected his approach to the competitiveness of his machine.
“What I think always sets him apart a little, both positively and negatively, is that when he knows he has a chance of winning something, he can drive at 200 per cent.
“But if he has the feeling that the car isn’t running well, that he somehow has no chance of winning the race, then unfortunately he lets himself go a bit, which is a shame.
“If he sees even the slightest chance, then he drives as well as ever, I think, like no other.”
However, Hamilton has quashed those comments as the seven-time F1 champion insisted that he worked as hard as ever earlier in the season to reverse his troubles.
“I’m slowly getting more and more comfortable with the car,” Hamilton said at Zandvoort.
“I’ve struggled during the year, I read some comment from someone earlier that said that ‘I don’t drive 200 per cent when the car’s not right’, but I’ve been working my butt off all year.
“I’ve been giving everything, and it’s not been good enough, so I’ve just been trying to work at it and get better.
“And as the car’s progressing, I’m becoming more and more at one with it, and now the results are starting to come, which is a great feeling.”
The Briton, who will move to Ferrari in 2025, is targeting more victories and an improved position in both championships across his remaining 10 races with Mercedes.
“If we can catch Ferrari in the Constructors’, that would be an amazing recovery,” he continued.
“If we can move into the top five Drivers’ wise, if I can get close to the top three, I think that’d be a good recovery from the difficult season we started.”
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