director Andrew Shovlin has backed Lewis Hamilton despite some suggesting the seven-time champion's best days may be behind him.

The 40-year-old Brit with Mercedes last year and shocked the motorsport world by in February.

Despite in the Drivers' Championship and securing and the Belgian Grand Prix, whispers in the paddock arose that Hamilton's illustrious career might be waning and his time behind the wheel in its twilight.

Yet Shovlin, who also worked with for The Silver Arrows, believes Hamilton still has plenty of drive left in him as he heads for red.

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After Hamilton clinched fourth place in Abu Dhabi, Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle echoed the sentiments of many, questioning whether Hamilton was past his prime, reports

"Plenty of people [are asking], 'Is Lewis over the hill? Is his peak ahead of him or behind him?'" said Brundle. "His absolute peak, it might be behind him as he turns 40 in January."

Additionally, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan questioned Ferrari's decision to sign Hamilton on his Formula For Success podcast: "Lewis is a particularly nice person. I'm not sure there are many nicer people on the grid than

"However, my FFS goes to John Elkann of Ferrari for even authorising, signing off on that deal. It was absolutely suicidal to get rid of Carlos [Sainz]."

Despite the views of many that 40-year-old Hamilton's sparks may be fewer when he takes the wheel of a Ferrari, Shovlin strongly disagrees.

"You saw in Vegas how good he [Hamilton] is at chasing down a gap when he's got one," Shovlin shared with Sky F1 post-Abu Dhabi. "He's been quick all weekend. We let him down in qualifying. We should have started further up the grid.

"But, just it was nice to finish with a really strong drive from Lewis. He's clearly still got it. He's determined to keep going and keep winning races, keep battling for his record, and we'll be cheering him on."