Lewis Hamilton handed F1 title warning after 'silly' mistakes

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer has pointed to the “silly” mistakes made by Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton at recent events.

While there have been setbacks, Hamilton has largely enjoyed a strong step forward in form this year as part of a major overhaul to the technical regulations.

The seven-time champion won his first grand prix with Ferrari in Barcelona and has four further podiums to his name, leaving him second in the drivers' championship at the halfway mark.

Having struggled for several years during the previous generation of car, Hamilton's resurgence has drawn praise from Palmer.

“He's driving brilliantly,” Palmer told the F1 Nation podcast. 

“The fact that he's even matching or ahead of Charles' pace a lot of the time shows what a great turnaround it's been. 

“It's really difficult to compare to his glory at Mercedes, the competition is so different, the environment is so different.”

However, Hamilton has been left frustrated by some uncharacteristic mistakes of late, including a false start at Silverstone, a collision with Russell at Spa-Francorchamps, a grid penalty for an impeding incident during qualifying in Hungary, and a pit lane speeding infringement during the Budapest race.

With a 50-point gap deficit to Antonelli in the standings, Hamilton and Ferrari can't afford any more slip-ups, according to Palmer.

“We are seeing some of the best that he's ever done, and that's why there's frustration over the needless penalties,” he said.

“His driving level is exceptionally high right now. He's really risen to these regs and the opportunity that's there for him.

“These mistakes, they're not really to do with skill. That's the silly thing. It's kind of a lack of concentration, attention, or something in him and the race engineer.

“They've just let themselves down. And if Ferrari want to win this championship, the fact that they would need to maximise every point, they are a long way from doing that at the last few races.”