“I saw Lewis Hamilton lose his smile – his strength? He can no longer do it”

Lewis Hamilton has “realised” that he can now not ship his key talent, an ex-Ferrari driver claims.

Ivan Capelli drove for six F1 groups in 9 seasons together with Ferrari, an Italian driver representing his nation’s iconic workforce.

From Italy the place the Tifosi are determined for Ferrari glory, Capelli has watched their new famous person driver lose an important attribute.

“I noticed him lose the smile he had in his eyes,” Capelli informed Gazzetta dello Sport.

“What was his energy, which was to take the workforce by the hand in troublesome moments, he can now not do it.

“And he has now realised it. Particularly with such a quick teammate subsequent to him.”

Capelli added: “Lewis Hamilton? He’s residing a kind of double life.

“Away from the tracks he’s the same old Hamilton, the seven-time world champion we all know, however as soon as within the automotive he cannot discover a solution to his driving issues.”

Lewis Hamilton backed to recuperate from Ferrari woe

Hamilton’s woes reached their worst level after qualifying on the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix the place he labelled himself ‘ineffective’ and urged Ferrari to interchange him.

He’d simply watched Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari on pole. A day later, Hamilton was nonetheless depressing and didn’t backtrack from his alarming phrases.

However Capelli insists that not each F1 spherical after the summer season break will go as badly as Hungary.

“Lewis can nonetheless give one thing to Ferrari,” he insisted.

“To suppose that he’ll shut the 12 months like that is inconceivable.

“It isn’t simple in any respect. Lewis is now conscious that he cannot adapt to the SF-25 and even the working strategies at Ferrari are most likely removed from what he was used to in twelve years at Mercedes.

“At this level, the one wild card that Hamilton can nonetheless play for is 2026: a very new automotive, with new guidelines and the place everybody begins on an equal footing.”

The F1 2026 rules do provide Hamilton – and everybody else within the sport – a recent begin with new vehicles.

Hamilton has discovered the present period’s ground-effect vehicles a harder nut to crack than earlier iterations.

However, earlier than then, he should battle his SF-25 by means of the second half of this marketing campaign.

Martin Brundle has requested whether or not Hamilton can deal with two extra years of battle.

Questions have arisen over an earlier-than-expected F1 retirement for Hamilton on account of his latest issues.

However the summer season break is an opportunity to step again and reassess, and he’ll hope to be renegerised for the Dutch Grand Prix.