Sky Sports pundit Bernie Collins feels Lewis Hamilton is 'distant' from the rest of the Mercedes team amid his difficult start to the new F1 season.
The Briton is currently spending his last year with the Silver Arrows before moving to Ferrari in 2025.
Yet Hamilton has endured a torrid time of things, with the 39-year-old failing to finish in the top six during the first three races of the season so far.
The Stevenage-born star has also been upstaged by team-mate George Russell, too.
Lewis Hamilton has been dubbed 'distant' with the Mercedes star enduring a difficult start to the new F1 season
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Hamilton will go into next weekend's race in Japan with just eight points on the board so far.
And Collins, speaking to Sky, feels the seven-time world champion is 'distant' as his woes go from bad to worse.
“I think he’s disappointed that the car’s still not where it needs to be even though they have made big changes," he said.
“Because he’d pushed quite hard for changes in previous years and they were slow to come, he feels a bit distant from the team."
Hamilton will be hoping the grass is greener when he joins Ferrari next term.
But Collins has warned the 39-year-old of more trouble ahead, with the Sky pundit worried Hamilton will struggle at Ferrari.
He continued: “Mercedes have always supported him entirely, jumped through the hoops to make what Lewis wanted happen.
“And now that’s going to change.
“I think the Ferrari step for him is going to be a massive challenge. He’s never driven a Ferrari-powered car.
“All the engine modes are different, the team ethos is different. Yes, Fred’s there, but it’s going to be such a different environment.”
Hamilton hasn't won a race in two years.
And the veteran didn't mince his words after last weekend's event in Australia, with the F1 icon acknowledging Mercedes' troubles so far.
“I mean, this is the worst start to season I’ve ever had," he admitted after failing to finish the race.
“Surprisingly, I feel pretty good. I’m trying to keep things in perspective, you know, this like, could be so much worse.
“I’m really grateful. I’ve really enjoyed my time here in Australia, I’m still enjoying working with a team.
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Lewis Hamilton has struggled during the early stages of the F1 season so far
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"Of course, I’d love to be fighting for wins and actually finishing races.
“It’s never a great feeling when you come all this way, and you don’t see even half of the race, but what I know is that we will bounce back, we will eventually get there, we just have to continue to chip away.”
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff, meanwhile, has insisted Hamilton remains upbeat - and insists the seven-time champion is 'as good as you can be'.
“I think the drivers are super in this whole setup, because Lewis is as good as you can be," he said in Melbourne.
Lewis Hamilton has been defended by Toto Wolff ahead of his move to Ferrari next year
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“He’s in a situation obviously where, on one side it’s super frustrating to see that we are not getting it, on the other side, look over the fence and it’s pretty good what’s happening there.
“But that is not his main priority today and George is just a fighter and is digging in and he knows that’s his place, so we’ve got to sort this out.”
