Lewis Hamilton ‘struggling’ in battle with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, says Fernando Alonso

Alonso explains why he thinks Hamilton is struggling for form

Two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso has identified a concerning factor in Lewis Hamilton’s struggle for form at Ferrari.

The British driver switched from Mercedes ahead of the current season, but has not managed a podium finished since. His best was a fourth-place in Italy last month, with a constant struggle for results that better his fellow Ferrari driver.

Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc has three podium finishes to his name this season, with a second-place in his hometown of Monaco making his best return.

Speaking to Planet F1, Alonso, 43, said: “Lewis is a great driver, he’s capable of exploiting all his strengths. After 24 races, we’ll do the math: he’s struggling now, but he can turn things around very quickly.”

The Aston Martin driver has hit onto a theme of Hamilton’s recent form. He related his deficit to Leclerc to his prior record against then-Mercedes partner George Russell last season.

“I don’t think the situation has changed much compared to last year with Russell. Then, the Mercedes was apparently difficult to drive and Russell was more comfortable. This year seems to be the same,” he explained.

In the 2024 standings, Russell finished one place ahead of Hamilton in sixth, with 245 points compared to the seven-time world champion’s 223. Currently, Leclerc sits in fifth with his British teammate yet to pass the century mark and Mercedes replacement Kimi Antonelli just behind him.

However, Alonso added: “It’s difficult to give an opinion without having all the information.”

Hamilton will hope his form begins to turn around as F1 rolls into Austria on 27 June.