Martin Brundle once called Lewis Hamilton ‘childish’ for Japanese Grand Prix antics, they may have cost him an F1 title

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Lewis Hamilton has enjoyed a mixed start to life as a Ferrari Formula 1 driver and heads to Suzuka this weekend in search of some more consistency.

The seven-time champion won the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix, before being disqualified from the main race on Sunday for excessive skid block wear (lower than the permitted 9mm).

As a result, Ferrari walked away from Shanghai pointless from the main race and left to reflect on their positive Saturday of running.

It was a promising step for Hamilton, who struggled at the season-opener in Melbourne. It proved that at the right circuits, the Scuderia can be challengers for Formula 1 victories in 2025.

Ferrari will make one change to Hamilton’s Japanese Grand Prix car and raise their suspension in a bid to extract more performance from the SF25. They are convinced that their concept is a good one.

Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are unhappy with Ferrari’s 2025 car due to their lack of pace over the first two races. They believe that they should be faster at this stage in the year.

READ MORE: Ted Kravitz questions how Lewis Hamilton celebrated Ferrari Sprint win at Chinese Grand Prix, ‘come on’

Martin Brundle once called Lewis Hamilton ‘childish’ for Japanese Grand Prix social media post

With the Suzuka race now being held at the start of the calendar, it’s no longer as pivotal in the drivers’ championship race as it used to be.

Back in 2016, there were five races to go heading into the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, and the battle for the title between Mercedes’ Nico Robserg and Hamilton was close.

Hamilton would post a video of himself with a bunny ears filter on his Snapchat during a press conference at the event.

He then had a dismal start during the race, losing six positions off the start before recovering to third. The 10 points he potentially left on the table would have been enough for him to take the crown that season.

Martin Brundle was less than pleased with his approach to social media, which shows how far things have evolved over the last nine years. He labelled the Brit as ‘childish’.

“Instead of focusing on the world championship, he seems to be focusing on an app that puts bunny ears on people. It’s childish and stupid,” he said on Sky Sports F1 according to The Sun.

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How close did Lewis Hamilton come to beating Nico Rosberg to the 2016 F1 title?

The 2016 Formula 1 title finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was one of the most thrilling finishes to a championship in recent times.

Rosberg held a 12-point advantage over his teammate, knowing that a spot on the podium would be enough to deal a maiden crown.

Hamilton knew he had to win and rely on other results to go his way to earn a fourth title. After the Japanese Grand Prix, he won the next three races with Rosberg in second.

The same fate would await them in the Middle East, as Rosberg hung onto second despite being backed up by Hamilton during the race.

He claimed the title by five points, meaning that the Suzuka start blunder may have cost the Brit what would be an eighth world championship today.