Mercedes director addresses Lewis Hamilton's '1-8' qualifying deficit to 12x podium finisher George Russell

Mercedes director James Allison feels Lewis Hamilton's '1-8' qualifying deficit to his teammate is a result of the driver being unable to make it stick in the fine margins needed in qualifying. The F1 legend has not had the best start to his final season with the team. The driver has struggled to keep up with his teammate and faces a '1-8' and '2-7' deficit in qualifying and races, respectively.

The number has come as a shock, as the driver has almost always been considered an exceptional qualifier. He even started his career by making a name for himself as a driver who would hustle a lap time out of the car. This season, however, the tides have turned. The driver has been outqualified comprehensively by his teammate George Russell.

Lewis Hamilton, who out-qualified his teammate in 2022 and was level with him in 2023, has found it hard to beat him. A '1-8' deficit surprised a lot of people, and Mercedes director James Allison was questioned about why this was happening.

Theorizing why Lewis Hamilton struggled so much over a lap, James Allison said that it might have been hard to nail that single lap, which is seemingly causing him a lot of trouble. He said,

“Lewis has not by accident been the best qualifier in the history of the sport because I think he's been the best driver in the sport. But he's struggling to make it stick this year by fine margins. And I think to a degree, I was speculating this in an email I sent to the factory yesterday, that the current car tyre combo, not just us, across the pit lane, it doesn't like being hustled.”

He added,

“You almost get the best lap times when you're not trying. And you see every weekend, you'll see someone pop a lap time in free practice or in qualifying, in some session or other, you'll see some car and you think, well, how did that get there? And then they don't do it again.”

"I think he's the best racing car driver there's ever been"

James Allison was asked what he would miss about Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. Allison claimed that Lewis was the best racing driver there has ever been. He said,

“The ability to make a tyre last and last and last, even while telling Bono it wouldn't. The drama that goes along with having him as a teammate, but just the delivery of brilliant, brilliant performers. I've said before, I think he's the best racing car driver there's ever been, and I still believe it.”

Lewis Hamilton won 6 world titles with Mercedes in what has been a decade-long partnership. It will be interesting to see what happens next as he moves to Ferrari.