Lewis Hamilton has declared he has “still got it” despite his continued struggles with the Mercedes F1 car. The seven-time world champion has lacked form behind the wheel of Mercedes' challengers ever since new technical regulations came into play in 2022. His frustration reached a new low when he took aim at his own form on Friday in Qatar, stating he is “not fast anymore”. On Saturday Hamilton qualified in sixth place for the Qatar Grand Prix while team-mate George Russell was second, which later became first following a grid penalty for Max Verstappen. Hamilton has just two more grands prix in Mercedes colours ahead of his switch to Ferrari and insists he is looking forward to the conclusion of the campaign. "Yeah, I know I've still got it," he told media including RacingNews365 . "Just the car won't go any faster, I definitely know I've got it still. It's not a question in my mind. [But I'm] looking forward to the end." The result in Qatar marked the 18th time this season Russell has bested Hamilton across one lap in qualifying. "I'm slow," he said. "I'm half a second off my team-mate in the same car.” When asked if his concerns relate to the Qatar weekend, Hamilton stated: "No, it's been all year."
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