Despite the difficult start to his final season as a Mercedes driver, Toto Wolff believes Lewis Hamilton will continue to behave like a “pro”, as he always has.
Announcing even before pre-season testing that this year would be his 12th and final campaign with the Silver Arrows, 2024 is not shaping up to be the grand finale Hamilton or Mercedes had hoped for.
‘I think that Lewis Hamilton is a pro and has behaved in that way until now’
Although he did feature on the podium in Shanghai’s Sprint race, even the Briton admitted that was in part down to his grid slot as “had I started further back I would have struggled to progress”.
But nonetheless it was a podium, one that had the seven-time World Champion smiling only to be eliminated from qualifying at the very first hurdle just hours later.
Hamilton went from smiles to “sh*t happens”, that said with a wry laugh, and although he scored two points a day later in the Grand Prix, his “never had so much understeer in my life” comment underlined the problems Mercedes are facing with the set-up of the W15.
But, he added: “We just have to keep fighting.”
And it is that attitude from seven-time World Champion that team principal Wolff has applauded.
“I think that Lewis is a pro and has behaved in that way until now, trying to keep his morale up and the morale of the team even if when the results don’t come,” he said.
“So I have no doubt that this is going to last. He has also been supportive.”
Meanwhile, Hamilton’s former team-mate Nico Rosberg has backed the Briton to rebound.
Trailing Russell by 33 points to 19 in the Drivers’ Championship, the German reckons Hamilton is going through a “low” period but that he will come out stronger.
“At the moment his form is at a low point, but I still have faith in him,” he told Sky Deutschland.
That’s good news for Ferrari who will have Hamilton’s services next year, the Briton turning 40 in his first season with the Scuderia.
“He is the greatest of all time and will then be 40 years old,” Rosberg continued. “Fernando Alonso shows that’s still possible.
“Ferrari is also doing well. We’ll see something good.”
Max Verstappen is leading the Drivers’ standings with 110 points, 25 ahead of Sergio Perez with Russell seventh to Hamilton’s P9.