Lewis Hamilton in 2024: A sleeping giant

Drivers’ standings: 7th

Points: 223

Best finish: 1st X2

Best qualifying: 2nd

Podiums: 5 (+ 1 Sprint podium)

2024 has been a season of highs and lows for Lewis Hamilton, and his final with the Brackley-based Mercedes Formula 1 Team. He started the year with a bang; before he’d even turned a wheel in testing, he sent the F1 world into meltdown with the activation of an escape clause in his contract. Lewis announced he’d part ways with Mercedes at the end of the season and make the move to Ferrari for 2025.

2023’s woes continue

With a two-year win-less spell behind him, Lewis has renewed motivation to make his final campaign with the team a good one. But it wasn’t the beginning of the season that either Lewis or the Silver Arrows had hoped for.

After going quickest in the first Free Practice session of the year, the Brit was only able to qualify ninth at the season opener in Bahrain. With only two places gained during the race to seventh, it was one of his worst starts to a season since he entered Formula One.

The difficult start continued into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix where Lewis had been battling with the car all weekend and qualified eighth on the grid. In the race, he stayed out longer than drivers around him which put him at a disadvantage, and he was unable to keep pace with Lando Norris in the high-speed Sector 1 during the final laps. A ninth-place finish confirmed the team’s troubles in Bahrain were no fluke.

Australia was no different, with the Brit calling the whole weekend “a real struggle”. After being off the pace in most sessions, his weekend came to an early end with a retirement on Lap 17 due to a power unit problem. That result marked the first time since 2009 that Lewis failed to reach the podium in the opening three races of a season.

At the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton outqualified his team-mate George Russell for the first time in 2024. After an early red flag in the race, Mercedes opted for a one stop strategy with the Hard tyre, but that soon proved a poor choice as Lewis was overtaken by three cars in formation. After a long first stint Lewis was the second Mercedes to be bought in, and with another stop late in the race, it resulted in another ninth-place finish.

A glimmer of hope in Shanghai 

The Chinese Grand Prix started strong with Hamilton qualifying second for the Sprint. He bolted off the line and took the lead from Norris, but quickly started to struggle with the car and ran wide opening the door for Verstappen to snatch the lead. Lewis crossed the line in a comfortable second.

When it came to qualifying for the main race, a return to bad fortune ensued as a difficult session saw him start the Chinese Grand Prix from eighth. After getting squeezed at the start Lewis lost a place, but it didn’t take him to long to start rising through the field. Pit stops came for the Brit on Lap 10 and Lap 22 and by Lap 33 he had moved into the points in tenth. He crossed the line once again in ninth, but this time it seemed the pace was there to fight for positions.

Encouraging signs, but still off the pace

He endured a painful Sprint in Miami, finishing 16th after receiving a penalty for speeding in the pitlane. However, he delivered an encouraging performance in the Grand Prix after applying heavy pressure to Sergio Perez for most of the race, eventually achieving his best Grand Prix finish of 2024 with sixth.

The following two races in Imola and Monaco weren’t stand-out performances, with Lewis not getting the best from his W15. A sixth and seventh place finish respectively saw the Brit take home some valuable points, but after being outqualified by his team-mate in seven of eight races, questions were being asked about his lack of pace.

Turning a corner in Barcelona

The Spanish Grand Prix was a real turning point in Lewis’ season as he found his feet with the new aerodynamic concept that Mercedes had introduced that weekend. He translated that new-found confidence into a season-best qualifying of third, before converting it into his first podium finish of the year.

The seven-time world champion had another challenging Grand Prix in Austria, despite just missing out on the podium. He had a good start to the race from fifth and was challenging for third but was asked to give a position back to Carlos Sainz by the stewards. Things got worse when the Brit was given a five-second penalty for crossing the pit lane entry.

A historic ninth British Grand Prix win at Silverstone

In one of the most memorable moments of the season, Hamilton was second in an all-British top three in qualifying for the British Grand Prix. In the late stages of a rain-affected race, Hamilton capitalised on the changeable conditions, pitting for slicks one lap before Norris to leapfrog into the lead. His focus then turned to holding off the McLaren driver, and resisting late pressure from Verstappen to take a long-awaited – and history-making – ninth Silverstone victory.  

Hungary for more

The win at Silverstone spurred Hamilton on, and his run of form improved across the next two races in Hungary and Belgium. He took his 200th overall podium in Hungary after a hair-raising battle with old rival Max Verstappen.

A surprise second victory came at the Belgian Grand Prix when George, who had finished ahead of Hamilton on track, was disqualified post-race for an underweight car. The duo had engaged in a thrilling late chase, with Lewis closing down his team-mate. Despite getting agonisingly close, he was unable to find a way past for the on-track victory. He headed into the summer break with six consecutive top-four finishes, four podiums, and two wins in the previous six rounds.

Back to down to Earth

There had been hopes that the fine form found before the summer break would continue into the second half of the season, but it wasn’t to be. After feeling like more was possible from the W15, Lewis had a poor qualifying in Zandvoort which was made worse by an added three-place grid drop for impeding Sergio Perez. He finished the race in eighth, still picking up points for Mercedes, but a far cry from that form at Silverstone, Hungaroring and Spa.

After starting the second half of the season on the back foot, Lewis was hoping to have more pace in Monza at the Italian Grand Prix, but he struggled during qualifying and ended up sixth. The disappointment continued as he failed to match the pace of the Ferrari and McLaren cars ahead in the race, only finishing fifth.

Azerbaijan marked the end of the European races for the season, and after being forced to start from the pit lane due to an engine penalty, Lewis wasn’t expecting much from the race. He struggled to make up ground and finished behind both Williams cars in ninth.

A second-row start in Singapore looked like it could signal an upturn in form, but after lining up on the opposite compound of tyre to those around him, he struggled in the opening laps and soon dropped back. Having to make a pit stop much earlier than his rivals, he was only able to cross the line in sixth.

Heartbreak in the Americas

During the American triple-header, the Brit endured a miserable few races, with the exception of fourth place in Mexico. A retirement in Austin after a spin into the gravel was one of Lewis’ worst weekends on American soil, and a new career lowest finishing position at Interlagos (10th) ended with him describing his Mercedes as a ‘plank of wood’.

Back to his best in Las Vegas

Heading into the final three races of his time with Mercedes, Lewis’ performance at the Las Vegas Grand Prix was nothing short of determined as he charged from P10 to P2, showcasing all the skill and determination that earned him seven drivers’ titles.

A penultimate round to forget 

Never was Lewis’ rollercoaster of a season more evident than when, fresh off the jubilation of Vegas, he suffered a puncture and a drive-through penalty, eventually finishing 12th at the penultimate round in Qatar.

A fitting send-off for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes

After qualifying for the season finale, it looked like the most successful driver-team combination in the history of F1 would go out with a whimper, when Lewis made a high profile Q1 exit qualifying 18th. Of course, the seven-time champion wasn’t going to take that one lying down. He sliced his way past the opposition on an alternate strategy, eventually swooping round the outside of his team-mate to take fourth on the final lap of his Mercedes career.  

With his move to Ferrari imminent, Hamilton will largely write off 2024 as a season to forget. For now, his all-conquering pace remains elusive, but there have been some highlights, not least of which his epic ninth win at Silverstone. When the opportunity presents itself, he is still just as hungry as he ever was.

Now the question remains, will we see the Hamilton of years gone when he emerges in red at Albert Park? And will he continue to further extend his record as the most successful driver in Formula 1 history?