Lewis Hamilton’s former boss Toto Wolff insisted the Ferrari driver has not lost any of his magic and backed him to recapture his form.

Hamilton has described his start to life with Ferrari as painful as he struggles to get to grips with his new machine following 12 years at Mercedes.

Although Hamilton won a sprint race at the second round in China, he has failed to finish inside the top four in a main event.

The 40-year-old has also been out-qualified by team-mate Charles Leclerc at all but one of the opening five races, and has finished behind the Monegasque in every grand prix.

But speaking ahead of Sunday’s event in Miami, Wolff, who oversaw six of Hamilton’s seven world championships, said: “We have seen that magic in the sprint race in Shanghai. He dominated that race, and it is not like you have that magic in one race, and then suddenly you lose it in the following one.

“I very much believe it is still there. If he aligns his performance contributors, is in the right space, and the car is to his liking, he will be stellar, and I have no doubt about that.

“But I am not surprised he has hit those road bumps because he was with us for 12 years and he has been put in a Ferrari where his team-mate has been for a long time, and his team-mate is clearly one of the very good ones.

“So, if I look from the outside and speaking to him, too, it is a trajectory that any new driver needs to go through at a top team.

Wolff elected to replace Hamilton with Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli. George Russell was promoted to team leader.

Russell, out of contract at the end of the year, has excelled so far this season by taking three podiums.

Wolff continues to be linked with a move for Red Bull’s Max Verstappen next season, but the Austrian added: “George is part of the Mercedes family, and always has been, and as I see things today, why break a team that is on a trajectory that is positive?

“When a seven-time world champion leaves the team, George was a little bit in the shadow of Lewis, as we all were, but he is now the one that gives the direction, he can be relied on. And he has massively stepped up.”