Patrese: Don't be so sad Lewis, you proved you're one of the best

Seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Hamilton has now started outside the top 10 for two races in a row, while teammate Charles Leclerc took pole position in Budapest.

Hamilton told Sky Sports: “I’m useless, absolutely useless. The team have no problem. You’ve seen the car’s on pole. So they probably need to change driver.”

The outburst drew a response from Italian motorsport veteran Riccardo Patrese, who defended Hamilton and said his struggles are more about adaptation than ability. “First of all, I don’t think Hamilton is useless! For sure he has a bad moment because he’s not providing the performance that he would like to have. But I should say that car probably doesn’t suit his style.

“From my point of view, Lewis has a problem adapting to the Italian philosophy. He worked for many years with an English team. That can be a little bit different. I hope he can go back to a bit better mood! At the moment, he doesn’t have a good mood, that’s for sure,” Patrese explained.

Patrese also pointed out that Hamilton’s struggles cannot be separated from Ferrari’s long-term issues: "Ferrari also has some problems. For many years, they have not been able to provide a winning car like a McLaren at the moment.

The motivation for a champion like Lewis is to have a car that can give him the possibility to win a world championship. Ferrari, I don’t think, has the potential to do that.”

The 71-year-old Italian, a six-time Grand Prix winner, believes next season’s regulatory overhaul adds another layer of uncertainty. “It’s difficult because of the change of rules for next year. Nobody really knows where the best place to be is for next year.

"I think Lewis for Ferrari could be very, very useful because he has a lot of experience working with a winning team and he knows the keys which you need to find a good balance in the team," ventured Patrese, who made 257 Grand Prix starts in a F1 career that spanned nearly two decades.

Patrese urged Hamilton to show resilience despite the frustrations. “If I can give him advice, I should say, ‘Don’t be so sad! You proved in the past that you are one of the best Formula 1 drivers in history. Keep the morale up and work with the team.’

"Leclerc is pushing him and is hungry, maybe hungrier than Lewis, who has seven world titles and more than 100 Grand Prix wins.”

Patrese concluded with a note of encouragement for Ferrari’s superstar: “He’s having a bad period. Whether he has the desire to keep going on, only he knows. If the car becomes a winning car, Lewis has no problem winning the eighth championship.”

First though, season stats suggest that Hamilton has first got to beat Leclerc in the sister car, before he can focus on a title challenge. At the moment, that is proving tough as the Monegasque is beating the Briton 10-4 in Qualifying and 11-2 in GPs so far. Ten rounds remain.