Difficult times ahead for Lewis Hamilton who 'let's himself go' when he has no chance to win

According to former Mercedes engineer Philipp Brändle, Lewis Hamilton often "lets himself go" if he doesn't have a chance to win a race, with Brändle adding, "when he knows he has a chance of winning something, he can drive at 200 per cent," per Motorsport-Total.

The former engineer added, "if he has the feeling that the car isn’t running well, that he somehow has no chance of winning the race, then unfortunately he lets himself go a bit, which is a shame," but does add, "If he sees even the slightest chance, then he drives as well as ever, I think, like no other."

With Hamilton set to move to Ferrari following the 2024 Formula 1 season, could we see the seven-time World Champion "let himself go" even more? If Formular 1 legend Jacques Villeneuve is correct, we may well do. Read on to learn more.

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According to Sky Sports, Hamilton's current deal at Mercedes was due to expire at the end of the 2025 season, but in February 2024, Hamilton activated a release clause to join Ferrari at the end of this season.

Hamilton will replace Carlos Sainz at the 'Prancing Horse' and join Charles Leclerc to form a new super team in Formula One. However, a former F1 world champion thinks he will struggle.

Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 Formula One world champion, believes Hamilton will struggle at Ferrari because of the pressure that comes with being a Ferrari driver.

According to the GPBlog website, Villeneuve said: "Lewis Hamilton will be an emotional rollercoaster at Ferrari. He seems to be very emotional in his driving, in the highs and lows, and it seems to affect him quite a lot."

Despite being the most successful driver in the sport, with seven F1 world titles and 105 race wins, Villeneuve still believes Hamilton lacks consistency from season to season.

"Every season he's driven, Hamilton has had ups and downs, he's never had a season like Max Verstappen. There's always swings in his moods, it might be self-doubt, but I'm not sure."

"Most of the season, it's looked like Hamilton was accepting defeat to George Russell, which is weird. In Silverstone, his killer instinct was bad, and he made the difference in the rain. That's the champion we know, he knows how to take hold of an occasion."

In the past few races, Ferrari has looked a little bit off the pace, with McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull pulling away. However, with Hamilton in the seat next season, can they become world champions again?

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