- Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin clarified that Lewis Hamilton was consistent in his performance and efforts up to the end of his tenure with Mercedes F1.
Lewis Hamilton’s announcement of his move to Ferrari during the 2024 Formula 1 season certainly caught most people by surprise. Along the way, the veteran driver’s departure from the team that brought him six Drivers Championships and 84 race victories spurred speculations that he “gave up” his motivation to continue with the group.
Andrew Shovlin Defends Hamilton
Andrew Shovlin, trackside engineering director at Mercedes AMG Petronas F1, immediately defended Hamilton in an interview with Racing News 365. According to the race engineer, their former driver was consistent in his performance up to the end of his tenure with the three-pointed star marque.
Shovlin admitted that Hamilton’s struggles on track stemmed from the team’s inability to provide him with a car that could complement his performance. He explained that the driver showed his passion and consistency whenever they gave him the right car, like in Las Vegas.
Hamilton displayed dominance at the Strip as he finished the race in second place, just next to his teammate George Russell. The decorated driver notably started the event from tenth position during the qualifying.
“It was definitely not a different Lewis, you saw the same Lewis, the same drive, the same determination, but the results haven’t been there, and that no doubt affecting how happy we all are,” said Shovlin. “But if you look at Las Vegas, when we gave him the car he needs, he is dominant, and the team will always look at these last three years, we desperately wanted to come back from 2021 to right that wrong and win a championship, but we didn’t produce a car to do that.”
Mercedes F1 Moving On from Hamilton’s Departure
Shovlin stated that the team would surely miss Hamilton. He added that the seven-time world champion has been a big part of his career.
Nevertheless, the Mercedes F1 official assured fans that they will continue building on the experiences they learned from the past season to deliver a title-worthy contender this year.
