Hamilton 'Too Is Human' Says Andretti Amid Teammate Comparison

F1
Sunday, 31 March 2024 at 22:30
hamilton lewis imagopanoramic
Motorsport legend and Formula 1 World Champion Mario Andretti recently shared his opinion on the seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton is currently the most successful driver in the history of F1. The 39-year-old achieved more wins (103), podiums (197), pole positions (104) and fastest laps (65) than anyone else.
The 39-year-old also holds the record for the most consecutive season with at least one victory, which he achieved with the streak that began in his first year in F1 and continued until the end of 2021.
However, since the start of 2022, Hamilton has not won a single race, and many fans are starting to question his abilities.
He's currently being outperformed by his younger teammate, George Russell. Mario Andretti told La Gazzetta dello Sport:
"Lewis in his career has often had a means of trying to win, he didn’t need to bring out 100 per cent and so he rarely makes mistakes."
Andretti compared the seven-time World Champion to his current Mercedes teammate, suggesting that driving alongside Russell proves he is not superhuman.
“Russell was fighting every minute with an uncompetitive Williams, when he switched to Mercedes he thought he had arrived in paradise and instead found himself fighting again: he is used to it and so he stays ahead of his team-mate."
"Hamilton seemed superhuman. Instead, he too is human, as happened to Schumacher when, after his successes in Ferrari, he returned to F1 with Mercedes, and the impossible no longer succeeded."
Some pundits suggest that Hamilton is the type of driver who shows his best only when he feels he has the car to compete for the win, which he currently doesn't have.
However, that could change once he joins Ferrari after the end of the 2024 season. Andretti said it would be interesting to watch what Hamilton can accomplish with the Italian team as he added:
"But it will still be very interesting to see Lewis at the Prancing Horse, with his great desire to finish his career at Maranello."