Source: REUTERS / XXSTRINGERXX xxxxx
[Saba Sports News] Former F1 world champion Jenson Button stated in a media interview that Lewis Hamilton is showing some signs of aging, with this year’s qualifying performances not measuring up to his teammate George Russell as the best evidence. Statistics show that in the races conducted this season, Hamilton has outperformed Russell in qualifying five times, but has lagged behind his teammate 16 times. This marks the second time in the past 12 seasons that Hamilton’s qualifying performance has been inferior to that of his teammate. During the F1 Brazilian Grand Prix, Hamilton was eliminated in Q1 during a wet qualifying session, while Russell was two seconds faster than him. Button noted that qualifying used to be Hamilton’s “strength,” but with age, that advantage is gradually turning into a “disadvantage.” Button further elaborated on his viewpoint, pointing out that Hamilton is almost 40 years old and is competing against drivers in their twenties; no matter how good Hamilton’s reflexes are, they will not be like those of a 20-year-old. Button revealed that he faced similar issues in the later years of his own career.