Lewis Hamilton branded a 'spoiled child' in scathing criticism

Former F1 driver Marc Surer has branded Lewis Hamilton as a "spoiled child", in a wave of scathing criticism for struggling as soon as he does not have the "fastest car". Hamilton has struggled throughout the current ground-effect regulations and is still yet to claim a race win since moving from Mercedes to Ferrari.  The Briton has taken time to adjust to racing for the Scuderia, in what is a dramatically different environment and team culture compared to the Silver Arrows.  Results have not been going Hamilton's way, with a grand prix podium continuing to elude the 105-time race winner.  Some progress has been made in recent races, although Surer has criticised Hamilton for encountering issues whenever he does not have the best car on the grid. "Lewis Hamilton is simply a spoiled child who has always driven the best cars. If the car suits him, he wins hands down," Surer told Austrian magazine Vollgas . "But as soon as he doesn’t have the fastest car, he runs into problems." Surer, who made 82 F1 starts from 1979-1986, does not believe the same can be said for veteran Fernando Alonso.  According to the 74-year-old Swiss, Alonso has extracted the most out of every package he has driven, unlike Hamilton. "He [Hamilton] is not like Alonso, who can live with compromises and gets the most out of every car," added Surer.

Hamilton's key struggle

One of Hamilton's biggest difficulties at Ferrari this season has been learning to use Brembo brakes, a manufacturer he had previously never experienced. It has caused Hamilton real issues in several grands prix, due to him often lacking confidence when late braking, a strength of his at Mercedes. This particularly problem has surprised Surer, who thought the seven-time world champion would make progress during grands prix this year. "I did not expect that. I thought he would still shine in the races thanks to his experience," explained Surer. "But that is not happening.  "On the other hand, he already struggled over the past two years alongside George Russell. At Ferrari, he now has an extremely fast team-mate in Charles Leclerc."