Having Lewis Hamilton in your team is a 'blessing and a curse', states former F1 champion 

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill mentioned that having a personality like Lewis Hamilton in a team can have both negative and positive connotations.

Since the start of the 2022 season, the formerly dominant duo of Mercedes and Hamilton haven't really fired and have languished behind the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari, and now Aston Martin. The seven-time world champion has not won a race since 2021 in Saudi Arabia and criticized the team after their dismal showing in Bahrain last week.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Hill said:

“I think in this day and age now we were all aware that when you work for an organization – and this has cropped up in the past with regard to Red Bull as well – sometimes the people who work for the teams now get abused on social media because, in some rather naïve or misguided people’s minds, they are responsible for Lewis Hamilton or whoever their favorite driver is not getting the car he wants."

He added:

“So it’s a blessing and a curse in a way, having this driver as good and as famous as Lewis Hamilton in your team. People are loyal to him and they’re not necessarily loyal to the team he’s driving for, they just want the team to provide him with a fast car. So I can imagine there’s been a lot of stress back in the factory because of that.”

“Last year, I told them the issues that are with the car" - Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton was critical of the German team after finishing P5 behind Ferrari's Carlos Sainz in Bahrain last week. The Brit mentioned that he had made his feelings about the concept of the car quite clear to the team last season but to no avail.

Speaking on the BBC's Chequered Flag, he said:

“Last year, I told them about the issues that are with the car. Like, I’ve driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car doesn’t need. And I think it’s really about accountability, it’s about owning up and saying ‘yeah, you know what, we didn’t listen to you, it’s not where it needs to be and we’ve got to work’.”

Lewis Hamilton's contract with Mercedes expires at the end of this year. It would be fascinating to see if he leaves or sticks around with the team amidst their time in need.