Former Ferrari man accuses Lewis Hamilton of 'living a double life' as struggles in keeping up with Charles Leclerc surface

Former Ferrari man Ivan Capelli has accused Lewis Hamilton of living a double life, as the driver capabilities are seemingly not there anymore. The Italian's remarks come amidst a poor start to the partnership, where the driver is yet to secure even a single podium with the team in 14 races.

When Lewis Hamilton first announced that he was moving to Ferrari in 2025, the decision was met with a lot of anticipation from fans. This was going to be a combination of the most successful driver and team together in their quest for glory. When you add Charles Leclerc into the mix, the team has the best driver lineup on the grid as well.

The first season together is, however, not going the way Lewis Hamilton would have hoped or expected. Earlier, it was a case of lack of adaptation, as the driver couldn't get a handle on Ferrari, but recent races have seen him struggle to keep up with Charles Leclerc in general.

The situation has not been good, as Lewis Hamilton only has one race weekend in Silverstone where he can make a claim that he was the overall better Ferrari driver. So much so that now questions are being raised about his age and what he's capable of. Ivan Capelli feels that the driver just doesn't appear to have it anymore, as he told Gazzetta Dello Sport.

“Lewis Hamilton? He is living a sort of double life. Away from the track he is the usual Hamilton, the seven-time world champion we know, but once in the car he can’t find an answer to his driving problems. I saw him lose the smile he had in his eyes."

He added,

“What was his strength, which was to take the team by the hand in difficult moments, he can no longer do it. And he has now realised it. Especially with such a fast team-mate next to him.”

Ferrari boss continues to back Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur, on his part, continues to back Lewis Hamilton and quashes suggestions that the driver was losing motivation in any way. After the race in Hungary, the driver had expressed doubt about whether he'll return and race, but Vasseur put it down to the frustrations of a bad result, as he said,

"I don't need to motivate him, honestly, he is frustrated but not demotivated. It is a completely different story, and I can perfectly understand the situation, and sometimes you are making comments when the driver is saying in the car, but if you put the microphone on football players, I'm not sure it would be much better."

He added,

"You know that sometimes they make comments when they jump out of the car, and I can understand the frustration; we are all frustrated. Sometimes, after the race or qualifying, you are very disappointed, and the first reaction is harsh, but we all know that we are pushing in the right direction."

The second half of the season is going to be interesting for quite a few drivers, as the first few races could set the trend for the rest of the season. Hamilton would be hoping to get his form back, as a run of low scores could increase pressure even more.