Lewis Hamilton’s age “a hurdle” in current F1 struggles, says Anthony Davidson

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports F1 analyst Anthony Davidson discussed Hamilton's form on Friday ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, indicating that his age could be a factor.

Hamilton is the second-oldest driver on the grid at 40, behind Fernando Alonso who is four years his senior. Although the Hungarian Grand Prix saw the British driver struggle, he has repeatedly insisted he is not considering retirement.

“This is just another hurdle that he’s having to overcome and I don’t mind saying it because it’s the elephant in the room, and I’ve been there myself as a driver, age is a factor as well,” the 46-year-old explained on Sky Sports F1.

“I feel like this time of reflection for him, as an athlete ages, it does [affect performance].

“Whatever anyone says, even himself, others that are very involved with Lewis, fans, they won’t understand where I’m coming from, but I’ve lived and breathed it as an athlete. I’m now retired at 46. You start asking yourself questions. It’s only natural.”

Hamilton joined Ferrari at the start of 2025 after a 12-year stint with Mercedes, which resulted in six of his seven championship titles.

“We all know what Ferrari is like, at least from the outside,” Davidson added. “We have a few friends, ex-colleagues that are on the inside and they confirm the beliefs from in the paddock that it’s a pressure cooker.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images

“There’s a high expectation on the Italian national team to perform and the request of the standards are incredibly high…

“He knew what he was walking into, but it’s never easy. As a driver, you know the challenges of changing teams. Even changing car to car, like we’ll see next year with the rules changing and like we saw in 2022.

“For me, Lewis has never been the same driver since we saw the 2022 regulations come along and he’s had to work harder than ever before to rework his style that he’s done many times before in Formula 1.

“The cars have changed a long way since the normally aspirated V8 and the grooved tyres that he once drove, for example, and he’s had to reinvent himself along the way.”

As the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend progressed, Hamilton seemed to become more frustrated. On Saturday he claimed he was "useless" after qualifying in 12th for the race at the Hungaroring and that Ferrari should consider a new driver. When asked about his remarks following the race, Hamilton doubled down.

"When you have a feeling, you have a feeling. There's a lot going on in the background that is not great," he said to Sky Sports F1.