Hamilton must accept he is 40 now, he is slower, says Rosberg
Hamilton has yet to win a place on the podium this season and has struggled to get his car going, trailing in the wake of McLaren's upwards trajectory and his learning curve with a new vehicle in his hands.
Lewis Hamilton is adamant his Ferrari stay will be a successful one despite a hit-and-miss first half of the season for the former World Champion.
Hamilton has yet to win a place on the podium this season and has struggled to get his car going, trailing in the wake of McLaren's upwards trajectory and his learning curve with a new vehicle in his hands.
On Friday, Hamilton, who joined Ferrari this year, wound up 11th in the Spanish Grand Prix after second free practice and described his car as "not drivable".
As the 40-year-old Briton battled to drive his capricious car around the Circuit de Catalunya, former F1 driver Nico Rosberg, who beat him to win the world title in 2016, told SkyF1 that age was likely to be a factor in his struggles this year.
"Even if he’s the greatest of all time, at some point you are going to get a little bit slower and that's age-related," said Rosberg.
"And when you are 40, it's going to happen sooner rather than later."
Leclerc, Hamilton's Ferrari team-mate, was sixth and said he was pleasantly surprised by his car's performance and potential. Hamilton, though, wasn't too impressed.
Asked about his day, he said: "Not fun. It’s a beautiful place, the weather has been amazing, but no, not a good day."
Hamilton currently has 63 points in the Driver's Championships. In comparison, leader Oscar Piastri has 161 points. A near 100-point difference.
He added that he did not feel he was using his experience to motivate the team.
"I wouldn’t say that. You just keep your head down and keep working away. You just don't give up. You keep going, you keep pushing," he said.
Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix takes place Saturday (Approx 4 pm Kenyan time) with the main race scheduled for Sunday at the same time.
