F1 fans stunned by ‘unbelievable’ Lewis Hamilton reaction time stat at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton’s qualifying struggles have led some to suggest that he’s in decline. The 39-year-old is two-thirds of the way through his 18th season in Formula 1.

Hamilton blamed temperature issues for his poor qualifying in Baku as he set the seventh-fastest time. Mercedes teammate George Russell was fifth, sealing victory in the season-long head-to-head.

Russell is now 13-4 up in 2024, an unassailable advantage with seven Saturdays remaining. Hamilton holds the all-time F1 pole record on 104, but he’s only taken one in the last two and a half years.

However, he still looks as assured as ever on race day. He entered Baku sixth in the championship on 164 points, 36 ahead of Russell.

He ended a near-1,000 day victory drought with a spectacular win on home soil at Silverstone in July, and then inherited the 25 points at Spa when his teammate was disqualified. He’ll look to add to that tally before he signs off with Mercedes in Abu Dhabi.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton leads the way for reaction times

During coverage of Saturday morning’s FP3 session, a graphic on the official F1 broadcast feed displayed the average reaction times of some of the sport’s top drivers this season. Hamilton has just taken just 0.26 seconds to move off at the start, placing him at the top of the leaderboard.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, the youngest full-time driver on the grid, was second ahead of teammate Lando Norris. Russell was fourth, followed by Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.

F1 internet personality Matt Gallagher shared the figures on his X account during the session, commending Hamilton’s efforts as ‘unreal’. Only 43-year-old Fernando Alonso is older than the seven-time world champion on the current grid.

A host of fans were similarly in awe. @simply_arpan said ‘that’s why he’s legend’, and @BakariMZA dubbed him ‘the best ever’.

@NdlovuVincentia called the stats ‘unbelievable’, while @KJ16976372 used the word ‘astonishing’. ‘Well done sir,’ added @IW_ALL.

Jacques Villeneuve says Lewis Hamilton will bring ‘baggage’ to Ferrari thanks to George Russell

Typically, an individual’s reaction times would grow slower as they aged, but Hamilton remains at a world-class level in this vital area. And he’ll have to be extremely sharp if he’s to beat Leclerc at Ferrari next year.

Hamilton wants to win an unprecedented eighth world championship at Maranello in a dream conclusion to his career. 2020 to 2025, or later, would represent one of the largest gaps between titles in F1 history.

Jacques Villeneuve says Hamilton will bring ‘baggage to Ferrari after the events of 2024. In his eyes, the Briton has struggled to adjust to the end of Mercedes’ dominance.