Lewis Hamilton’s struggles explained by 2024 ‘trend’: ‘It’s a strange one’

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Former Haas driver Kevin Magnussen believes he has identified the cause of Lewis Hamilton’s recent struggles, citing the ‘particular’ nature of ground effect F1 cars. Magnussen, who lost his seat at Haas at the end of the 2024 season and will now return to the sportscar scene in 2025 as a BMW works driver, has detected similarities in the data linking himself, Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo who was also dropped from the F1 roster following the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix. Known as an aggressive driver, good on the breaks, Magnussen’s driving style is cut from the same cloth as Hamilton and Ricciardo and the 32-year-old Dane believes there is a correlation between the trio’s issues in ground effect F1 cars. On top of the cars being aerodynamically and mechanically quite particular, the tyres also are a strange one.” Delving deeper into the manner with which he believes the ground effect F1 cars need to be driven, Magnussen pinpointed one huge negative when at the wheel.