Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton would have wanted their last season together to end on a brilliant note. But so far, things don’t look like they are heading that way. The Silver Arrows have started the season horribly, with Hamilton’s performances being impacted severely. Still, the seven-time world champion put up a smile and spoke about the season ahead.
Hamilton attended the GQ Global Creativity Award ceremony in New York earlier this week. There, a simple question asked by a reporter turned into a moment of contemplation for the 39-year-old. Answering a question, Hamilton revealed that he had never driven in New York, and that he rarely drives (outside of F1).
Q: Do you drive in New York?
LH: No, I’ve never driven in New York. I don’t really drive a lot.
Q: You only drive on the track? So how’s that going?[…]
LH: It’s going pretty bad at the moment [], but there’s a long, long season so there’s plenty of time for progress.#GQ pic.twitter.com/nQaAEDTMHV
— Sir Lewis Updates (@LH44updates) April 12, 2024
The follow-up was painful for Hamilton. “So, how’s that going?”, the reporter asked.
An honest Lewis Hamilton, with a smile on his face, answered that things are “pretty bad at the moment. But there’s a long, long season so there’s plenty of time for progress.”
Hamilton emphasized how a team effort can take the team out of the slump it is in at the moment. Mercedes helped him win six world titles, and the outfit won eight between 2014 and 2021, which shows that they know what it takes to win. Hamilton, however, won’t be focused too much on the Brackley-based team’s long-term success.
End of Lewis Hamilton’s struggles?
Before the season started, Hamilton announced that he will join Ferrari in 2025. The Maranello-based outfit seems to be in a better place than Mercedes, with the former featuring regularly on the podium so far this season.
As a result, Hamilton will be expecting his struggles to end once he leaves Mercedes. For the last two years, the Stevenage-born driver has struggled to compete for podium places, let alone race wins. Fighting for mere points is something that a driver of his caliber doesn’t want to do.
It’s been a crazy few days which have been filled with a whole range of emotions.
But as you all now know, after an incredible 11 years at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, the time has come for me to start a new chapter in my life and I will be joining Scuderia Ferrari in 2025.
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) February 3, 2024
He will join Ferrari with one thing in mind – winning his eighth world championship. This is the one thing left for him to achieve in F1. Now, at the age of 39, he realizes he doesn’t have a lot of time to do the same. Hence, joining Ferrari was his best hope of reigniting his brilliant best.
