Before the season had even begun, Lewis Hamilton triggered the biggest Formula 1 story of the year by activating an escape clause in his recently-extended contract with Mercedes which would allow him to move to Ferrari for 2025.
While the move brought to an end the longest and most successful team and driver partnership Formula 1 has ever seen, it also prompted many hot takes from those who questioned whether replacing Carlos Sainz Jnr with Hamilton would be the immediate upgrade it would have seemed just a few years ago.
After all, Hamilton arrived into 2024 on the back of a two-year win-less spell – by far the longest of his historic career. But although he had been out-scored by much younger team mate George Russell in their first season together in 2022, Hamilton had at least been the superior performer of the two last season.
Over the opening salvos of 2024, Hamilton did little to silence his critics. It took until the fourth round in Japan for him to out-qualify Russell as both Mercedes drivers were frustrated to find their entirely-new W15 was not the great leap forward they had hoped it to be. Only when Miami rolled around in May did Hamilton reach the chequered flag before his team mate for the first time, but his performances failed to stand out as the rounds continued to roll by.
He was not making major mistakes. He was not costing his team several points with a fundamental lack of speed. He was not having ‘bad’ weekends. He was simply not getting the absolute best from his car as often as he has over so many of his seasons in Formula 1.
Mercedes were slowly finding their feet with their entirely new aerodynamic concept, however. As they joined rivals McLaren and Ferrari in catching up with the previously untouchable Red Bull of Max Verstappen, Hamilton seemed to find more confidence as Mercedes began to extract more performance from their car.
Spain marked a turning point. As well as qualifying third – his best starting position of the season – Hamilton overtook Sainz and Russell through the race to secure his first podium finish of 2024. Then the breakthrough came for Mercedes at the next round in Austria – but it was Russell who claimed the team’s first victory in over a year, while Hamilton finished in fourth after suffering floor damage early on and earning a five second penalty for crossing the white line at pit entry.
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