F1 Fan Theory: Lewis Hamilton Is Being Pushed Out Of Mercedes Purposefully
Lewis Hamilton faced a challenging qualifying session at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, leaving some fans questioning the performance of the driver's Mercedes W14. With teammate George Russell seemingly happier behind the wheel of the car than the 7-time champion, fans are now wondering if Mercedes is purposefully making it difficult.
Hamilton's qualifying performance was outpaced by Sergio Pérez, both Aston Martin drivers, Carlos Sainz, and Esteban Ocon from Alpine. If not for Charles Leclerc's 10-place grid penalty, the seven-time world champion would have started in the eighth position. The gap between Hamilton and Pérez's pole time was 0.958 seconds.
Fans couldn't help but notice the 0.4-second difference between Hamilton and Russell, with the latter showcasing superior driving throughout the weekend in Jeddah as he ended P4 - one place in front of Hamilton. Social media was abuzz with reactions, as many fans expressed their disappointment and concern about Hamilton's form.
"Bro what is the deal? Have you lost your edge?," one fan asked, leading a fan theory that Mercedes is pushing Hamiton away to bring in Schumacher. "Or are they giving you a crappy ride to make way for little #mickschumacher? I guess we should have known something was going on when your sidekick #AngelaCullen stepped aside. Let’s Go!"
Other fans have questioned whether Lewis is simply losing motivation:
“Lewis really disappoints. Seems like the motivation is gone,” said one Twitter user, with another adding:
“He is not himself. The Angela thing is odd also."
Despite these rumors, it is worth noting that both Hamilton and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff have confirmed that their partnership will extend beyond 2023, with contract negotiations currently underway. At the same time however, Lewis has identified where the W14 falls flat:
"We're a long way down on downforce," Hamilton said after the weekend of racing.
"So we've got to pick up the rear end downforce, particularly. The more rear we gain, the more stable the rear becomes - the more confident I'll be able to attack.
"But I think in general, just this car…
“Even if we do change that, there's a specific thing with something on the car that I have never had before.
"It's a position I've not had in previous years' cars.
“For me, it's the thing that is making me uncomfortable. I've just got to work hard to make sure it is changed.
"It's on a knife edge when you're above about 95 percent. But when you're in a race stint, it's much more controllable and predictable.
"I still don't have the confidence in the race, but I'm doing the best I can with it."
As the Formula 1 community continues to analyse and discuss Hamilton's recent performance, it remains to be seen when Mercedes and the driver will come to a conclusion on his upcoming contract for next year and beyond. But as always, we'll keep you up to date.
F1Briefings doesn't agree with this fan theory. It's no secret that Hamilton's connection to Mercedes goes beyond racing, and while he is looking for his 8th championship, we do believe that he will stay with Mercedes, despite rumours of him moving to Ferrari. With that being said, a realistic alternative is his retirement from the sport completely.
We'll have to wait and see.