LEWIS HAMILTON will not quit Mercedes and could turn his woes around to win his eighth world title, according to a former team-mate.
The British racing legend, 38, wrapped up his seventh world title in 2020.
But heartbreak in 2021 denied him on the final lap of the Formula One crown was followed by a nightmare car in 2022 that left him well off the pace set by back-to-back champion Max Verstappen.
And the 2023 season started in nightmare fashion for Hamilton, with another car that appears well below the standards set by Red Bull and Ferrari – and even Aston Martin.
The Stevenage star is desperate to be world champ for a record-breaking eighth – and reports suggest he could be tempted to switch to a rival team in order to reach his goal.
But Heikki Kovalainen believes his pal Hamilton will not make the switch and instead predicts him to stay put with the Silver Arrows despite the problems.
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The Finn, who drove alongside Hamilton at McLaren in 2008 and 2009, told the Mirror: "Personally, I don't see that coming – to me, he's committed to Mercedes.
"I met him in Hungary last year and we had a good chat there.
"Without going into detail of what was said in a private conversation, the body language and the feel I got from him, I just felt that this is something that he wants to turn around."
Kovalainen, 41, continued: "He wants to turn things around for Mercedes and that’s going to tick another box on his resume – to show that it's not that he's only been driving good cars and making the most of the good cars, but that he can actually turn a struggling team around and lead that team.
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"That's the reason why I'm thinking he's not going to change. I feel he wants to turn this thing around with Mercedes and then he can show the world that he can turn a struggling team into a winning team again.
"It's going to be exciting to watch and I 100 per cent believe he has the skill and the will.
"If anyone, he can probably do it."
Hamilton is back in action at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix this weekend.
The race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit gets underway at 5pm UK time on Sunday.
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