F1 News
Jolyon Palmer asks: Is Lewis Hamilton's success down to his car?
Lewis Hamilton has won his sixth driver's world championship and is now only one away from equally Michael Schumacher's all-time record. Whenever a driver is so dominant questions are often asked and Jolyon Palmer has questioned whether Hamilton has only won because Mercedes have the fastest car.
"There are the standard criticisms of Hamilton's 2019 season that should be addressed. Firstly he has taken only four pole positions. Only two seasons in his entire career has he achieved fewer. And with Bottas taking pole in Austin, he actually has more pole positions than Hamilton, with five," Palmer said in his BBC Sport column.
"And actually that is very comparable to this time last year, when he was 11-6 up on Bottas in qualifying, even though Bottas was deemed to be having a poor season. Does this show that Mercedes have the dominant car though?
"Does this explain Hamilton's unbelievable performance this year? Having the best car is usually an easy jab that critics will throw at Hamilton, and in truth it's often hard to deny.
“It is an argument that is often difficult to refute. Last year you could argue that Ferrari had the best car, that is certainly not the case this year. Lewis won his title in the best car. But you can still say that Lewis already had the title when Formula 1 left France in June.”
Fans and pundits are split on whether Hamilton's success is down to his car or driving talent. If it was purely just the car then surely his teammate Valtteri Bottas would be closer?