Sam Bird thinks Lewis Hamilton is finally over Abu Dhabi 2021 amid Ferrari resurgence

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Lewis Hamilton has hit the ‘reset button’ and finally put the events of Abu Dhabi 2021 behind him this year, Sam Bird says. Hamilton scored his first podium as a Ferrari driver at the Chinese Grand Prix last weekend.

It took the seven-time world champion 26 weekends, but there are signs that the result won’t be an anomaly. Hamilton has placed in the top four in five out of six competitive sessions this year.

In terms of Grand Prix results, it’s Hamilton’s best start to a season since 2021, the year he was ‘cruelly’ denied a record-breaking eighth world championship.

Lewis Hamilton has stopped doubting himself at Ferrari, Sam Bird says

Speaking on the Chequered Flag podcast during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, Bird said the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP had a ‘massive knock-on effect’ on Hamilton for a number of years.

Hamilton was leading the title-deciding race until the final lap, when FIA race director Michael Masi incorrectly implemented the safety-car restart procedure. That gave Max Verstappen a chance to pass the Mercedes star and snatch the championship.

Bird thinks that the British driver was overcome with self-doubt afterwards, but he has stopped putting so much ‘pressure’ on himself this year. Sky Sports pundit Jacques Villeneuve said in Shanghai that Hamilton is ‘almost unbeatable’ when he has a positive mindset.

“I think Abu Dhabi, when he lost the championship, affected him for a lot longer than what he’s ever spoken about or what we’ve ever thought,” Bird theorised.

“I think that then had a massive knock-on effect for his mentality for quite a long period of time. He was right there to break a record to get an eighth world title – no-one’s ever done that – and it’s taken away from him quite cruelly in Abu Dhabi.

“You go to the next season, Mercedes quite clearly didn’t have the car, and that continued for the next three years. All of a sudden, you doubt that you’re ever going to reach the point [of winning an eighth title].

“You had it in the bag, then you start to think, ‘Am I ever going to do this?’. You start doubting yourself.

“It looks like this year, so far, he’s managed to hit a little bit of a reset button. He’s enjoying himself again. Instead of putting that pressure on himself – ‘I’ve got to get that eighth’ – it’s like he’s had a little bit of a mentality switch.

“He still thinks and wants to get that eighth title, but now there’s a focus towards it, instead of a, ‘Why am I not quick? Why have I not got the car underneath me?'”

Should Lewis Hamilton have stayed at Mercedes after all?

In an interview last year, Hamilton said Abu Dhabi 2021 would always be a ‘scar’. For all his progress, the title is likely out of reach this year given the dominance of Mercedes.

Indeed, one could argue that Hamilton should have stayed at Mercedes, who were always seen as the favourites for the start of the rule cycle.

But for all he achieved at Brackley, he wasn’t guaranteed to hold onto that seat. Kimi Antonelli, who won his first Grand Prix on Sunday, may have replaced Hamilton if his 2024 struggles had continued.

Besides, Ferrari’s start under the new regulations has been positive, giving Hamilton renewed hope of one last title shot before he retires. It will all depend on the Scuderia’s rate of development, a historical area of weakness.