Jenson Button has theorised that Lewis Hamilton’s age could be behind his sub-par qualifying this season.
Hamilton is 16-5 down to teammate George Russell in F1 qualifying sessions this season, with three rounds to go.
It means he will lose out to a teammate in head-to-head qualifying for just the second time in his 12-year Mercedes career this season.
Ex-McLaren teammate Button delivered a reminder that qualifying is a traditional “strength” of Hamilton’s.
But Button added to Sky Sports: “He’s almost 40 years old. Maybe you do lose a tiny bit.
“You are racing against 20 year olds. Your reactions, no matter how good they are, are not going to be as good as a 20 year old’s.
“You can possibly lose that slight edge which wouldn’t show up in a race, but in qualifying it becomes more difficult.
“It does hurt when you see the younger drivers suddenly, not just quick in qualifying but it is the consistency they can put in in qualifying.”
Both Mercedes drivers have cause for optimism ahead of Saturday at the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Hamilton topped both Friday practice sessions, with Russell second and third.
But Mercedes have struggled at times this season with a decreasing competitiveness as the race weekend goes on.
Last time out in Brazil, Hamilton failed to get out of Q1 in a wet qualifying session, then finished 10th in the grand prix.
He reappeared in Vegas admitting that, in the bleak moment of his poor Brazil result, he wanted to walk away.
Button said as Hamilton topped Friday practice in Vegas: “I’m really happy that he’s here, and I’m sure we’ll see the best of Lewis.”
But whether he can edge teammate Russell for only the sixth time in 17 attempts in qualifying remains to be seen.
