Nico Hulkenberg Takes Firm Stance For Lewis Hamilton Amid Fear Of Dropping Form

Saajan Jogia | Jan 7, 2025

Nov 20, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton (44) before the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Sauber driver Nico Hulkenberg has taken a firm stance for Lewis Hamilton by saying that he is "still going great" amid reports of him dropping form as he gets older. The Qatar Grand Prix qualifying saw the 40-year-old get outperformed by his former teammate George Russell last year, which led him to say that he was "definitely not fast anymore."

Hamilton's 12-year partnership with the Brackley-based team brought immense success, including eight Constructors' Championships and six Drivers' titles. However, Mercedes' struggles in the ground-effect era, which began in 2022, saw the team falter in delivering a competitive and well-balanced F1 car. This lack of progress pushed Hamilton to explore other opportunities to secure his eighth championship.

As the 2024 season concluded, the seven-time world champion revealed his emotional side, reflecting on his deep bond with the Mercedes team he was preparing to leave. Coupled with the frustration of an underperforming car that diminished his chances of ending the season on a strong note, it was a bittersweet farewell. However, Hulkenberg believes the Briton had a "weak moment" and argues that he still packs the punch considering his stellar recovery from P10 to P2 in Las Vegas. He said:

"It is just about timing, and I think he had a weak moment to be honest.

"He was disappointed after a poor qualifying, and obviously I don’t know the details [from Mercedes], but he was up against George who is a very fast and complete driver already. 

"He’s put in some really strong performances and has good momentum, so as a driver, even when you are as experienced as Lewis, it can get to you and annoy you as well. 

"We all want to challenge and beat our team-mates, but you saw in Las Vegas how good Lewis is, he came from P10 and you should never discount him. 

"He’s still going great."

Hamilton also received praise from his 2021 championship rival Max Verstappen, who believes he won't "lose" his racing prowess and that his move to Ferrari would serve as motivation. The Dutchman told PA news agency, as reported by RacingNews365:

"I don’t think he will ever lose it.

"He has achieved so much.

"It is a new challenge for him next year. He will be very, very motivated to show he is a seven-time world champion. But it will depend on the material he has got."

Verstappen elaborated on his earlier remark, noting that Hamilton demonstrated his skill when the W15 was competitive but appeared less engaged when the car failed to meet expectations. He added:

“It has been tough for him (Hamilton) to get motivated fully this year because he knows he is leaving the team.

“I felt like as soon as he had that competitive car, and there was a chance of winning, you could see that he really stepped up. 

“Then there were some races where the car was difficult and he was like ‘whatever’.”