Lewis Hamilton handed familiar Ferrari struggles comparison by Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso believes Lewis Hamilton's struggles at Ferrari are similar to those he experienced in his final years with Mercedes.

Hamilton has not enjoyed the smoothest start to life at the Italian squad and is still awaiting his first podium in red after nine rounds.

Ferrari has been unable to field a race-winning car to battle McLaren and Red Bull in the opening rounds, while Hamilton has lacked pace to go toe-to-toe with team-mate Charles Leclerc.

In his final years at Mercedes, Hamilton slipped behind team-mate George Russell in the head-to-head battles, with Alonso spotting similarities to the 40-year-old's current predicament.

“I think it didn't change much, the situation from last year, with Russell,” Alonso told media including RacingNews365. 

“It was the same thing last year. The Mercedes was a complicated car to drive, apparently.

“Russell was a little more comfortable, maybe this year it's the same thing - but without knowing the full picture, it's difficult to have an opinion.”

Hamilton has shown flashes of pace during his stint with Ferrari, including a sprint race victory in China earlier this year.

Alonso, who is the only driver on the grid more experienced than Hamilton, has backed the seven-time champion to get on top of the struggles.

“Lewis is a tremendous driver, especially in tracks like this in Canada,” he said. “He's able to exploit all his strengths. So over 24 races, then you do the maths.

“At the moment he's struggling, but I think he can reverse the situation quite quickly.”