Lewis Hamilton "too preoccupied" earlier in the season - Bas Leinders

Ex Formula One tester Bas Leinders thinks Lewis Hamilton lost focus earlier in the season.

Hamilton trails Nico Rosberg as F1 enters it's final round, and despite Hamilton's mechanical issues earlier in the year, former Minardi man Leinders said Rosberg would "definitely" deserve the championship.


"Critics might say that he has only become champion through Hamilton's misfortune, but that's not true," he told the Belgian source Sporza.

"Okay, Hamilton had mechanical failures but so did Rosberg.

"It is more about how Hamilton tackled his season. In the middle of the season he was too preoccupied with his friends in LA and Hollywood," said the Belgian. "That certainly had an impact."

Leinders dismissed the idea that Hamilton was the best driver of 2016.

"Hamilton was not the best driver of the season," he insisted. "It was Max Verstappen. What he has done was phenomenal.

"If he gets into the right car, he will certainly be world champion."

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Date
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Australia
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Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
14 - Mar 16 2025
Australia Albert Park
21 - Mar 23 2025
4 - Apr 6 2025
11 - Apr 13 2025
18 - Apr 20 2025
Saudi Arabia Jeddah Street Circuit
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23 - May 25 2025
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27 - Jun 29 2025
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1 - Aug 3 2025
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United Arab Emirates Yas Marina Circuit
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Driver profile

  • Team Red Bull Racing
  • Points 3,445
  • Podiums 127
  • Grand Prix 233
  • Country NL
  • Date of b. Sep 30 1997 (28)
  • Place of b. Hasselt (Belgie), NL
  • Weight 70 kg
  • Length 1.8 m
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