Former Mercedes engineer Philipp Brändle accused Lewis Hamilton of switching off when his chances of winning in Formula 1 looked slim. The seven-time World Champion heard these claims and rubbished them during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend.
In an interview with Motorsport-Total, the engineer stated: "When he [Hamilton] has the feeling that the car isn’t running well, that he somehow has no chance of winning the race, then he unfortunately lets himself down a little, which is a real shame. When he knows he has the slightest chance of doing something, he can drive at 200 per cent."
Hamilton snaps back at claim from ex-Mercedes engineer
Hamilton saw the comment in the paddock at the Dutch Grand Prix weekend. "I read some comment from someone earlier that said I don't drive 200% when the car is not right. But I've been working my butt off all year and giving it everything, but it's just not good enough. As the car is progressing, I'm more and more at one with it," Hamilton answered back on Sky Sports.
Prior to the summer break, Hamilton was the inform driver. Following disappointment in the Canadian Grand Prix when the first fruits of the Mercedes upgrades were felt, Hamilton went on to achieve four podiums in the next five races. Two of those podiums were wins as he ended his near 1,000 day win drought.
At the upcoming Italian Grand Prix weekend, Hamilton will get to experiance racing in front of the Tifosi for the second time since he was announced as a 2025 driver for Ferrari.
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