Martin Brundle believes Lewis Hamilton committed to F1 despite ‘bumpy ride’ with new Mercedes

Ferrari appear to be the quickest so far, evinced by their one-two finish in Bahrain, and it could be a long season for Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton finished third in Bahrain (Getty Images)

Martin Brundle believes Lewis Hamilton is fully committed to Formula One despite the potential for a difficult season at Mercedes.

The 37-year-old narrowly missed out on a record eighth world championship last season in a dramatic and controversial final race at Abu Dhabi, where Red Bull rival Max Verstappen snatched his maiden crown.

The early signs this season suggests Hamilton may struggle to be so competitive this time around driving a Mercedes car that is yet to hit the ground running after a new set of regulations which has shaken up the field.

Ferrari appear to be the quickest so far, evinced by their one-two finish in Bahrain, and although Hamilton finished third in reality the Mercedes were well off the pace of the Red Bulls, which suffered from reliability issues and failed to finish.

Sky Sports commentator Brundle believes Hamilton may struggle to enjoy the sport if he is not fighting for race wins, but believes the Briton is still highly motivated and as quick as ever.

“I think he’s still hugely motivated,” Brundle said. “I think even despite being 37 years old he’s still at the peak of his talent. [His teammate] George Russell will push him hard, and I think he’ll have an answer for that. I think he’s such a force of nature. What else is he going to do with all that energy and competitive spirit and adrenaline? We’re all adrenaline junkies when we’ve been racing F1 for a number of years.

“Lewis has so many ambitions to change many things around the world — I really admire him for that — and he knows that Formula 1’s a platform to be able to do that. So I think as long as he’s still on balance enjoying it and he’s fast enough, he’ll keep doing it, and I think he’ll see beyond a bit of a bumpy ride.”

Formula One returns this weekend for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.