Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has suggested it helped Lewis Hamilton that he experienced his initial travails with Formula 1‘s current cars at his team rather than Ferrari.
Hamilton is the series’ most decorated driver with a record seven titles and 105 victories, but he has seldom tasted success since F1’s previous rules change in 2022.
But while that’s owed much to the hardware that has been at his disposal, Hamilton has also not scaled the same heights as he did with the previous-generation cars.
Having outscored his team-mate in all but one season between 2012 and 2021, the Briton was beaten twice by compatriot George Russell at Mercedes in three years.
Now, Charles Leclerc is set to end the campaign with more points than Hamilton as he sits 46 points above his more experienced stablemate with eight rounds to go.
Wolff believes the struggles Hamilton has endured in his maiden season with Ferrari aren’t dissimilar to the problems he had with the ground effect cars at Mercedes.
“He’s had those emotions with us as well,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “I think he had bad moments as well, where he felt the strategy went against him.
“You start to understand an individual better, how they function, and then with him… I know him so well, I know how that goes.
“And sometimes I just needed to put my arm around him immediately or give him half an hour to let the steam off and then things would normalise in a way.”
Wolff has claimed that it was beneficial that Hamilton discovered his limitations with the existing cars in an environment where he was comfortable being outspoken.
“When you’re in your family, you can shout and scream and everybody’s going to know why,” he highlighted.
“When you’re in a new environment, you don’t know the others as well, but you still want to shout and scream.
“So, the dynamic is just unknown – not that it’s better or worse, it’s just unknown and that certainly makes things less easy.”
Hamilton’s Mercedes exit remains valid
However, Wolff has acknowledged that the reasons behind Hamilton’s decision to cease his long-standing relationship with Mercedes to go to Ferrari remain credible.
“All the reasons he had to go to Ferrari are still valid today,” the Austrian accepted.
“He needed a change of environment, and we needed a change of environment. We weren’t as competitive as we would have wished. Ferrari looked better.
“Every racing driver wants to race in Ferrari. He likes the colour red anyway. The deal that was on the table was very good. These reasons are still valid today.
“Now, he’s going against one of the best drivers also, of the younger ones, who’s been in the team for a long time, with a car that drives totally different than ours.”
Wolff vows Hamilton can return to his best
Meanwhile, Wolff has quashed the notion that Hamilton’s continued troubles since he changed teams are evidence that he has encountered an age-related regression.
“You don’t lose your capability from one day to the other,” he asserted.
“A driver or a sportsperson can compensate a decline of performance in some areas with overperformance in others.
“Let’s say, your experience can compensate for maybe a lesser speed on a single lap.
“I’ve seen [Fernando] Alonso, he’s always been able to compensate. So, I believe Lewis, with a car that gives him the confidence and the feedback, can still be very good.”
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