What's gone wrong with Hamilton in his final season with Mercedes?

But those are the hard facts. Hamilton has 190 points with three Grand Prix and a Sprint Race to go this year. In 2022, he finished P6 in the standings, his worst season until now. His Mercedes teammate George Russell is two points ahead of him in the standings by two points.

This means the Mercedes duo are squabbling for P6 and P7 as Ferrari's Carlos Sainz in P5 is 52 points ahead of Russell. Red Bull's Sergio Perez in P8 on 151 points. His teammate Max Verstappen leads and is likely to be Champion, while to date he has scored more points than both Mercedes drivers combined.

This has to hurt; after all, Mercedes somehow won three races this year. Not even they know how they did it with a car that they still do not fully understand and frustrates their drivers as it did in Brazil, a venue Hamilton has won at on three occasions.

After the 39-year-old Mercedes drivers run to P10 in Sao Paulo last Sunday, speaking to the media team at SafestBettingSites.co.uk, Grand Prix winner turned pundit and FIA F1 Steward Johnny Herbert weighed in on Hamilton's form: “Lewis can’t wait to get to Christmas."

Herbert continued: "It is very confusing. There are times when he shows his real raw speed and then it all vanishes.How and why does that happen? That’s what I don’t understand.

The car is a bit up and down like a yoyo anyway, and George has similar issues. Lewis is coming to the end of his time at Mercedes, and George is the future. And Antonelli is lined up for next season.

"Mercedes will be favouring George, and a lot of the energy and input will be coming from him. They want to make him feel as positive as they can before next season when he is team leader. He is delivering too now.

There was even speculation that Hamilton might not race the final three races with Mercedes, to the point that the team had to release a statement denying such a scenario and confirming Hamilton will drive in Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.

Herbert reckoned: "I would've been very surprised if Hamilton had been replaced before the end of the season. I would be surprised if any racing driver would say he wants out just because it isn’t going well.

"He will still want to finish high for the team with whom he’s achieved so much over the years. He won’t just drop them. That is not his style," added Herbert of Hamilton.

The great Briton won his seven F1 titles with Mercedes power, as are his remarkable 105 GP wins and 104 pole position starts. Six of his titles were won with the Mercedes team he will leave behind for Ferrari.