The 2022 season was easily Mercedes’s toughest year on the grid. After winning eight titles in a row, the Silver Arrows saw themselves at P3 in the constructors’ standings and had only one win across the season. That also came when the season technically ended.
Lewis Hamilton had little success in 2022, according to his standards. The Briton failed to win even one race throughout the season, which had never happened to him before in his 15-year-long career.
Therefore, it’s fine to say that Mercedes went through their most challenging year. There were some glimmers of hope, but they soon got extinguished.
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Lewis Hamilton felt like a ghost was in the car
The seven-time world champion reveals that some positive signs were coming out at several points of the season. But several were just false positives that he noticed after the Spanish GP.
“The car was good there [Barcelona] but then the races afterwards were difficult. It was like a ghost was in the car and it kept coming back,” said Hamilton.
The Mercedes superstar then admitted that there were undoubtedly some high points. Like their W13 had a good race in France and Austin, and indeed Brazil, where they sealed a P1-2.
What lies ahead for Mercedes?
By the end of the season, Mercedes saw some growth in their work. They were even close to dethroning Ferrari from the runners-up spot. But in the end, they had to settle with the P3.
For next year, Mercedes hasn’t abandoned their 2022’s surprising ‘sidepodless’ concept. They still believe that the innovative aerodynamic design can make them win races.
For the 2023 season, Mercedes is aiming to contest for the championship. Hamilton has expressed his desire to win his eighth career championship and bring Mercedes to the top.
But would it be easy? Surely not. Red Bull is currently the favourite to defend their title this season. And Ferrari, with a powerful engine, is also a contender. So until the winter testing, Silver Arrows’ odds are less only.
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