Martin Brundle has warned Lewis Hamilton’s rivals that the Ferrari star ‘has nothing to lose’ as he looks to win a record eighth F1 title this year.
The 40-year-old’s form has nosedived ever since being denied a historic triumph in controversial circumstances back in 2021.
Last year, Hamilton sent shockwaves around the sport by announcing he’d be departing Mercedes following a glittering stint with the Silver Arrows.
He has since started work with Ferrari as he bids to etch his name into the history books once again.
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Brundle, writing for Sky Sports, has admitted that Hamilton struggles in qualifying.
However, he’s warned the other drivers that the Briton will be more dangerous than ever given he’s got nothing to lose or prove.
“We do see Lewis making a few more mistakes than he used to, in qualifying in particular, but if you look back to Silverstone last year – there was a race to be won, and he won it,” he said.
“He was also unbelievably fast coming back through the field in Las Vegas after his problems in qualifying.
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“Lewis has still got it, and if Ferrari have a race-winning car and a championship-winning car, then Lewis is still capable of achieving both, but he’s got to beat some great teams and drivers along the way.
“One thing we absolutely know is that Lewis will not be overawed by being a Ferrari driver.
“He’s way past that and he will not be feeling under pressure. He’s got nothing to prove.
“The big question is, will it be an Alonso/Vettel nearly-but-not-quite experience for him at Ferrari, or will it be a Michael Schumacher-like experience?
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“Either way, I don’t see Lewis has got anything to lose.
“He’ll come out of all of that having driven for Ferrari and it’s a huge story for him. It’s a huge story for all of us in Formula 1.”
With Hamilton now a figure of Mercedes’ past, many will be intrigued to see how George Russell fares.
Brundle expects the 27-year-old to emerge from Hamilton’s shadow and prove he can be the Silver Arrows’ main man in the new era.
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“George carries a confidence; the kind of confidence I wish I had when I was driving,” he continued.
“A self-belief that’s not uncomfortable, and I think he will relish his leading role at Mercedes this year, finally out of Lewis’s shadow even if he has outperformed him on many occasions.
“Unless McLaren and Ferrari really have got a performance advantage over Red Bull and Mercedes, then I think George is another one fully in the championship mix.
“His new team-mate Kimi Antonelli is clearly very fast and already has thousands of F1 miles under his right foot. He’s 18 and has a lot to learn so he’ll make mistakes, a process George himself went through at Williams.
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“But Mercedes knows what they’re looking for. In the last 10 years they have had Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg – champions and multiple race winners – George Russell and Valtteri Bottas – multiple race winners – so they’re not going to compromise 50 per cent of their chances by putting in somebody on a whim.
“They’ve obviously seen something in Antonelli they believe in, decided to build for the future, and they’ve gone for gold.
“He’ll shine often, but you have to expect George is their main man for this season.”