UNITED KINGDOM: Lewis Hamilton finished sixth in the F1 2022 Drivers’ World Championship, his lowest finish since joining the grid in 2007. This was also his first Formula 1 season without a race victory.
However, this did not stem from any diminution of Lewis Hamilton’s racing prowess. Mercedes have repeatedly admitted that the W13, the team’s challenger for the 2022 F1 season, is insufficient to compete with the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari consistently.
Lewis Hamilton will aim to deprive Max Verstappen of a shot at a hat-trick of titles along with George Russell, who gave Mercedes their only win in the 2022 F1 season in Brazil.
Lewis Hamilton endured a tough race in Abu Dhabi that ended when he had to retire the car in the pits due to hydraulic system failure, which resulted in a gearbox malfunction.
During the race, he reported several problems with his car over the team radio, including loss of power and floor damage after being rammed off the track and over a sausage kerb by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Lewis Hamilton will celebrate his 38th birthday in January. However, if Mercedes can learn from the sub-par performance of W13 and utilise the knowledge to create a much-improved W14, he should be able to launch a formidable challenge for the F1 crown next season.
Based on the steady progress Mercedes made throughout the campaign, they could be back on the pace in Bahrain in early March during the pre-season testing.
The competitiveness of Mercedes will depend on how much Red Bull and Ferrari have developed their cars by that time.
Following the conclusion of the 2022 F1 season in Abu Dhabi, Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 World Champion in Formula 1, believes that Lewis Hamilton will come back stronger than ever for the upcoming 2023 F1 season.
According to him, Lewis Hamilton’s ultimate goal will be to win the record-breaking 8th World Drivers’ Championship. He added that he expects a lot from the British driver despite ending the season without a pole position or a race win.
Jacques Villeneuve felt that in spite of Lewis Hamilton struggling during the initial stages of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when he was on the medium compound tyres, the Briton adapted beautifully to show his actual pace on the hard tyres.
Lewis Hamilton had to end the race prematurely after suffering his first mechanical failure in the entire season.
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