"He's not like Schumacher" - Lewis Hamilton 'needs to have confidence in the car', says his former colleague

Lewis Hamilton is not a technician at the same level as Michael Schumacher, according to former Mercedes aerodynamicist Philipp Brändle.

Brändle has spent six years plying his trade with the Silver Arrows and has seen the seven-time world champion operate firsthand on his way to multiple world championships.

The British engineer's comments come as Hamilton has struggled to perform with the Mercedes W13 and has been outshone by new teammate George Russell.

Speaking in an interview with speedweek.com, Brändle said:

“Lewis [Hamilton] needs to have confidence in the car, which is very important to him. He’s not like [Michael] Schumacher and doesn’t have the technical background. But he can feel the car particularly well.”

Hamilton and Schumacher both have seven world titles to their name but the Briton has more wins, podiums, and pole positions in his F1 career.

Heading into the 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP, Hamilton and Mercedes will be hoping to have a performance similar to their showing at the 2022 F1 Spanish GP, where the Silver Arrows appeared to have turned a corner.

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Lewis Hamilton 'no longer the top dog' at Mercedes, claims Eddie Jordan

Lewis Hamilton is no longer the top dog at Mercedes after being consistently behind George Russell in the ongoing 2022 F1 season, according to former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan.

Jordan ran his eponymous F1 team from 1991 to 2005 and was the person who gave Michael Schumacher his debut in the sport at the 1991 Belgian GP. The Briton has been in and around the sport ever since as a television pundit and analyst.

Russell, who joined the Silver Arrows to replace Valtteri Bottas, has two podiums to his name and is yet to record a finish below P5. In contrast, Hamilton only has one podium finish in the season opener in Bahrain, and in the six races since, has not been able to get the better of Russell.

When asked if this run of results has taken him by surprise, Eddie Jordan said:

“Absolutely, I think the big surprise is, everybody globally, in Formula 1 context, thinks that Lewis Hamilton is top dog. But he’s no longer top dog, not even in that team because [George] Russell has taken his perch away. And I think it’s very interesting to watch and I want to see how Lewis is going to overcome that.”

Hamilton is currently in P6 in the World Drivers' Championship standings with 50 points from seven rounds of racing. Russell is two spots ahead of the 37-tear-old with a 34-point lead.