Nico Rosberg expressed his concern upon seeing Lewis Hamilton appear so disheartened after his former teammate`s disappointing outcome at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Following the race, Hamilton admitted in an interview that he didn`t “know what to say,” reflecting on what he termed a “terrible” afternoon at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where he finished sixth.
Despite aiming for his first Ferrari podium after a strong qualifying performance (joint season-best fifth), Hamilton quickly struggled with a lack of grip after the start. Throughout the race, he was asked by Ferrari to let his teammate Charles Leclerc through, was overtaken by George Russell during the pit stop phase, and even lost a position to Nico Hulkenberg after a late Safety Car period.
Commenting on Hamilton`s post-race interview, pundit Rosberg stated:
“It`s hard to watch.”
He elaborated that Sunday was a “horrible day” for Lewis because he was “just slow,” which Rosberg found very unusual.
“Yes, sometimes he`s been a little bit off in qualifying, but in races he`s usually awesome, and this race was shockingly bad.”
Rosberg noted that the absence of clear answers for the poor performance makes the situation particularly tough for a driver, especially when their teammate manages to finish on the podium. “In light of the whole season he`s had so far, it`s a very dark situation,” he added.
While Hamilton initially suggested his struggles were “probably just me,” Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur later revealed that there “was an issue on the car the last stint, before the Safety Car,” which the team planned to investigate. During the race, Hamilton also voiced his frustration over the team radio, telling his engineer, “There`s something wrong with this car, mate. It`s the worst it`s ever been.”
Rosberg`s Assessment: “Something is Missing” in Hamilton`s Ferrari Start
With Ferrari`s championship ambitions rapidly fading this season, Hamilton currently sits sixth in the Drivers` Championship after nine races, 23 points behind his teammate Leclerc, who secured his second consecutive podium in Spain.
The Spanish Grand Prix marked only the second time in nine attempts that Hamilton had outqualified Leclerc, and he has finished ahead of the Monegasque in a full race only once.
Rosberg, who was Hamilton`s childhood friend in karting before becoming a fiercely competitive teammate at Mercedes, commented:
“It`s been a difficult start so far, a continuation of the form he had last year, which was the first time in his career he had a dip in form for the whole season.”
He added that “George Russell beat him last year, and Leclerc has taken over from Russell, always a bit ahead of Lewis, who hasn`t found his way yet.” According to Rosberg, “there`s something missing.” He believes Hamilton “is not connecting with the car yet and still a bit on the backfoot, but the car is a handful.”
Rosberg acknowledged that Lewis` strength at this stage of his career lies in his race pace, pointing to his “blistering pace” in Imola where he climbed from 12th to fourth. However, he also touched upon the factor of age.
“He`s 40, and at some point, it`s all about the speed of processing in our brains, the reaction time in qualifying.”
Rosberg concluded with his belief that:
“At some point you will get ever so slightly slower, and with Lewis, it will happen sooner rather than later.”
