Ever since Lewis Hamilton introduced his shock change to Ferrari for subsequent 12 months initially of the present Components 1 season, conspiracy has swirled over his remedy at Mercedes.
What the partnership has achieved collectively can solely spoken of in the identical method as Michael Schumacher’s stint with the Scuderia initially of the century, but there have been indicators of disharmony throughout the present season.
With Hamilton’s qualifying kind dipping at a number of rounds over the 12 months – particularly after robust apply tempo – there have been ideas from his supporters on social media that favour was now targeted on team-mate George Russell.
A technique name that resulted in Russell take the win in Belgium, earlier than being thrown out for an underweight automotive, left Hamilton reeling.
There was even an email in circulation earlier this year claiming to be from a Mercedes employee suggesting sabotage, threatening key members of the crew and forcing a police investigation.
Whereas there isn’t any proof of sabotage, nor declare from Hamilton himself, the best way the world now works with Twitter (or X), Instagram and Fb the dominant pressure for information and opinion means notion is commonly extra highly effective than fact.
In fact, Hamilton’s personal admission that he was “not good” in qualifying when taking sixth on the grid for the Italian Grand Prix eliminates doubt.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photographs
However murmours of such unfair remedy returned after he was put onto the comfortable tyre initially of the Singapore Grand Prix having certified third – solely one in every of two drivers to begin on that compound.
It was to the detriment of his race and he would ultimately end simply sixth, behind Russell.
Talking at crew sponsor Petronas’ headquarters in Kuala Lumpur within the week after the occasion – in a video filmed by an viewers member and circulated on social media – Hamilton and Russell reacted to the technique name.
Here is how the chat went:
LH: “It wasn’t enjoyable. We sat in our assembly within the morning earlier than the race – really, the evening earlier than they already talked about they wish to break up the automobiles. For me, I used to be a bit perplexed by it as a result of, up to now, when now we have been in that place… usually, if George has certified effectively like he usually does and I am out of the highest 10, then we are going to break up the methods. However, after we have been so shut, it did not make sense to me. However I battled as arduous as I may to battle for the medium tyre, however the crew continued to recommend that I begin on the comfortable. After they took the tyre blankets off and everybody was on mediums…”
GR: “Once I noticed that, I used to be pondering ‘Lewis will not be comfortable’.
LH: “I used to be so offended. Already from that second, I used to be pissed off after which I attempted my finest to maintain up with the fellows forward. They have been too quick and I attempted to make the tyre final so long as they might. I knew [when I stopped] that the race was executed for me as a result of the arduous tyre was going to be a battle in that warmth.”
It should be identified that Hamilton laughed his manner via his reply, displaying little animosity over the scenario, even when the selection of phrases suggests in any other case.
Group principal Toto Wolff had defined the crew had “learn the race fallacious” when deciding on the technique however offering extra perception, technical director James Allison mentioned: “I will simply begin off by saying we should not have began on the softs. That was a mistake. If we may flip again time, we’d do what these round us did and choose the mediums.
“The reasoning was that the comfortable tyre fairly often permits you to get away from the beginning abruptly and permits you probability of leaping a spot or two within the opening laps of the race. We had no actual expectation earlier than the race that we have been going to endure the form of difficulties that we then skilled on the comfortable rubber.

Toto Wolff, Group Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG F1 Group, within the storage
Picture by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Photographs
“So, we imagined we’d get the upside of the comfortable rubber, of getting a spot or two. We did not, as a result of that simply is not the best way the begins performed out after which we hoped that the draw back of the comfortable being a bit extra fragile would not actually play out notably badly as a result of, if you happen to look again over time in Singapore, on the entire, the tempo begins very, very straightforward at a Singapore race and the drivers then construct up the tempo over many, many laps, leaving a comfortable tyre completely OK to run comparatively deep into the pit window.
“So, we did not get the locations initially, the tempo began increase from round about lap 5 and that left Lewis with a automotive that was not notably comfortable anyway, affected by fairly poor tyre degradation and needing to return in early as a consequence and actually ruined his race for him. Yeah, so only a clear mistake.”
Mercedes, like several crew, determines its methods via the usage of historic race information and the knowledge picked up throughout the lively weekend. No matter Hamilton’s ideas, there isn’t any doubt the crew chosen the compound it felt was the perfect to assist maximise its outcome on the finish of 62 laps.
To recommend something in any other case is grossly unfair and insulting to knowledgeable crew that has had all of the success a bunch may want for.
However that is to not say the connection between crew and driver shouldn’t be broken. Hamilton was the on-track laboratory for Mercedes because it struggled on the daybreak of the present technical rules and within the area of two years has gone from eager to be a Silver Arrow for all times, emulating Sir Stirling Moss, to leaping ship for Ferrari.
In years passed by, the crew might have paid extra consideration to his pleas within the pre-race briefings quite than permitting a “battle” to escalate.
Wolff insisted this 12 months that his private relationship with Hamilton hasn’t suffered, but he was left “shocked and harm” by the seven-time champion’s Ferrari change.
The query is whether or not concord will stay between what was as soon as the powerhouse of F1 till the break up comes on the finish of the 12 months.