Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes have a 'huge' mountain to climb to compete again for F1 race wins and titles
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Updated 06/11/2022 at 16:42 GMT
Lewis Hamilton looks like going winless in 2022, something that's never happened to the 37-year-old in his 15-year F1 career. His Mercedes team have rarely looked like getting to grips with the new regulations this term, and Hamilton has warned of the "huge climb" that his team need to scale to put right where his team went wrong in their decision-making between last season and this one.
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Lewis Hamilton has left no doubt over the size of the task facing his Mercedes team to compete again for F1 titles, labelling their task a "huge climb".
Hamilton, remarkably and unexpectedly, has no wins to his name yet this season with just two races left to go, in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
Should he not win either of those, it would be the first time the 37-year-old has gone winless in a season in his 15-year career in F1.
George Russell in the other Mercedes has fared slightly better but neither has he scaled the top step of the podium in 2022, leaving Mercedes with some sizeable ground to make up to the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari.
Speaking to the Formula 1 website, Hamilton said: “The hill that we have to climb is huge.
“For us, it’s important to imagine it as the biggest, steepest, toughest mountain you can climb because if you think it’s going to be a normal hill, you underachieve.
"You’ve got to think it’s the hardest climb you can imagine, which means you have to dig deep.
“There is a lot of work that we have already done up to this point to understand where we are, where we went wrong in the previous decisions that were made last year into this year.
“In terms of making the right steps for next year, it’s not easy to navigate as there are lots of different options but communication is what I’m trying to work on with everyone, making sure there are no loose ends, there’s no misunderstanding over what I feel in the car and what I want in the car, and making sure that we are continuously creating dialogue.
“I sit with Shov [trackside chief Andrew Shovlin], Ron [Meadows, Sporting Director] and Mike [Elliott, Technical Director] – just firing questions – ‘this is my concern, this is what keeps me up and night, what can we do about this? How can I help you do better, do more?’
"There’s not too much that you can do as we have to trust in the process, but it’s letting people know you are there – it’s not for them to figure out on their own, we will figure it out together.”
Despite his difficult campaign, there is no sign of Hamilton throwing in the towel, reaffirming - in a somewhat secretive way - his commitment to the sport, to the fitness work needed to excel, and to his boss Toto Wolff, with whom he admitted to not always having a smooth relationship.
“In terms of my physical wellbeing, I feel the best I’ve physically ever been because I’ve been really focused on that as you get older,” Hamilton said.
“I’m generally loving driving so I’m working on a plan. I can’t tell you what that is just yet, but there is no limit to what we can do.
"Toto is one of my best friends. We’ve had tough, tough times, we’ve had tough negotiations, there’s been emotional bursts, a rollercoaster of emotions together over the years, but we’re like family.
"I want what’s best for him. He wants what is best for me."
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