Martin Brundle makes feelings known on whether Lewis Hamilton is past his peak in F1

Former F1 driver and Pundit Martin Brundle claimed that he believed Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton was past his best in F1 but could still perform well in a winning car. The former Mercedes driver officially began his tenure with the Italian team on Wednesday, after he completed his first shakedown in the 2023 challenger SF-23 at the team's official test track in Fiorano.

The seven-time F1 world champion had faced a lot of criticism for his results and speed in his farewell season with the German team last year. He was outqualified and outperformed by his former teammate George Russell in the 2024 season and finished behind the 26-year-old in the driver's standings.

While many have questioned the Brit's level heading into a new team, in a recent appearance on Sky Sports, Martin Brundle acknowledged that Lewis Hamilton was past his peak in the sport, but was capable of producing stunning results.

"Do I think the best of Lewis Hamilton is ahead or behind him? I think it's behind him," Brundle said. "I think he's lost an edge with age. Sometimes he gets in scuffles that he used to emerge out of, but he doesn't now, or he'll make a mistake in qualifying."

"But I think 96-97 percent of Lewis Hamilton in a winning car is still good enough. He's got all the experience, and his energy and enthusiasm will be re-energised by the whole experience. He will not be overwhelmed driving a Ferrari like so many drivers have."

Hamilton scored two race wins last year in Silverstone and Spa and roared on by the Tifosi during the Italian GP along with the Ferrari drivers.

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F1 pundit discusses the challenges for Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari

F1 pundit Martin Brundle said that Lewis Hamilton would have fast teammate Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, which would be a challenge for him as the latter has spent more time with the Italian team, having joined them in 2019.

As quoted by the aforementioned source, the Brit reflected:

"There are some big challenges, his team-mate Charles Leclerc has been there seven years effectively and knows exactly where the buttons are, and who does what, and makes things happen. Lewis will have to face that, and the fact Leclerc is incredibly fast."

Charles Leclerc had come close to finishing the 2024 season in P2 after a slightly underwhelming start to the year. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton had the worst season to date as he finished P7 in the driver's championship for the first time.

The 40-year-old will have limited running inside of Ferrari car before heading into the preseason testing in Bahrain next month given the restricted TPC. Hamilton is expected to get a full picture of the handling and the mechanisms of the car next week when he does a test run at Barcelona with SF-23.