Martin Brundle has delivered a scathing assessment of Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari struggles, saying he "doesn't buy" the seven-time world champion's explanation that he doesn't understand his new car.
Hamilton has endured a difficult start to life at Ferrari since his high-profile move from Mercedes.
The 40-year-old Briton has been consistently outperformed by teammate Charles Leclerc in grand prix races this season and could only finish seventh in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Brundle expressed his skepticism about Hamilton's car understanding claims, pointing out that we're now approaching May with pre-season testing and several race weekends already completed.
F1 news: Martin Brundle has delivered a scathing assessment of Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari struggles, saying he "doesn't buy" the seven-time world champion's explanation that he doesn't understand his new car
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The former F1 driver suggested Hamilton simply hasn't "gelled" with the Ferrari and may be taking the wrong approach with setup.
Hamilton's struggles were particularly evident in Saudi Arabia, where he finished a distant 31 seconds behind Leclerc.
While his teammate secured a podium finish in Jeddah, Hamilton had to settle for seventh place.
"He ended up 31 seconds behind Charles Leclerc, his team-mate," Brundle noted.
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REUTERSThe Sky commentator was left "baffled" by Hamilton's performance in the race and added: "I struggle to buy into he doesn't understand the car. It's a new car [but] here we are knocking on the door of May, and they've had all the preseason stuff and all that.
"I know from the things I've heard from Mercedes about how Lewis likes the car in a certain way. Obviously can't get the car there, where he needs it, so it's difficult days."
He also noted the inconsistency in Hamilton's performances, adding: "But what's a bit odd is, all of a sudden, he was right there."
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Brundle compared Hamilton's situation to other drivers adapting to new machinery.
He referenced 18-year-old Oliver Bearman's impressive Ferrari debut last season.
"Bearman, it took him in a day last year here, but then he wasn't relearning a car. He was just getting in and learning a car," Brundle said.
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The commentator also mentioned Kimi Antonelli's quick adaptation to life at Mercedes.
"Antonelli, he's got used to working with Bono quite quickly in working with that car. He did a lot of testing last year," he noted.
"I'm struggling to buy into that [comments from Hamilton], honestly."
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GETTYDespite his criticism, however, Brundle acknowledged that Hamilton's true ability exceeds what has been displayed at Ferrari so far.
"We know Lewis is better. Lewis is faster than that," the 65-year-old admitted.
"Something's not working. Something's not gelling there."
