A body language expert has spotted the exact moment Lewis Hamilton “broke rank” during an awkward appearance at Mercedes’ Team Car Launch.
The F1 superstar is gearing up for his final season at Mercedes after agreeing to join Ferrari in 2025. But he was front and centre for the unveiling of the German constructors’ new car, which will be driven by Hamilton and team-mate George Russell over the coming 10 months.
Body language specialist Judi James noticed several instances in which the seven-time world champion looked uncomfortable, as well as an embarrassing moment where he tried to escape off camera. “The key sign of any awkwardness from Hamilton in
Toto seems to have adopted a kindly, calming, parental pose, turning straight to Hamilton to deliver his ‘It’s obviously our last season with Lewis’ line using an eye connect with Hamilton. Toto’s facial expression is one of warmth and kindness here, with an eye-crinkling smile. As he turns back though his eyes dip diagonally in a more reflective move and his mouth smile looks incongruent with the corners of his lips pulled down.”
She added that there were little to no signs of camaraderie between the trio, with no visible eye connections or shared humour during the presentation. “Lewis adopts a ‘neutral’ pose with his hands behind his back. His eyes are down in a cut-off as he starts to speak and when he mentions it being ‘emotional’ he is also quite neutral in terms of his tone.
