A strange season for Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has had a very strange season. He is no longer seen as the same driver that both wowed and surprised in equal measure. Some of his performances and overtaking moves of the past need to be seen to be believed.

However this year he has been outclassed by his team mate which came as a surprise to both a lot of the viewers and also to himself. Japan was a particularly bitter pill for him to swallow, being out qualified and outraced in a manner that is not associated with Lewis Hamilton.

Contact in Monaco, Spa, Montreal, Singapore and Japan haven’t helped his cause, despite them not all being his fault.

The recent headline news is that he has split with Nicole Scherzinger. His relationship with his father has also been clearly strained. I believe these have negatively impacted his performance this season. Previously he always had the strong bond with his father who was always there to look out for him.

I am hoping that he will regroup over the winter, similar to Damon Hill in 1995. After a difficult season he came back fitter, stronger and more focused. Lewis Hamilton needs to come out firing in Australia next year if he is to have any hope of becoming a double world champion in 2012.

Vettel and Red Bull have raised the bar, Hamilton and his McLaren team have to step up.