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Lewis Hamilton Reveals How Everyone at Mercedes Hated Their Silver Livery in 2022

Somin Bhattacharjee
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Lewis Hamilton Reveals How Everyone at Mercedes Hated Their Silver Livery in 2022

‘Silver Arrows’ is the nickname for Mercedes’ F1 team, but it seems as though no one on the team wants to be associated with the silver color anymore. When the team launched in 2013, the livery was silver and that was the case until the 2020 season when they introduced a black-colored car. Since then, everyone including Lewis Hamilton fell in love with how the car looked.

Initially, the car was changed to black as a sign of their support for the ‘black lives matter’ movement. This continued in 2021 too but the next year, they decided to go back to Silver. The W13 (Mercedes’ 2022 car) was not a favorite of anyone at their Brackley factory, because of its poor on-track performance.

However, as revealed by Hamilton, the design too was disliked by almost everyone at their headquarters. According to the seven-time world champion, when they brought the car to Bahrain for pre-season testing, everyone on their team felt that the car didn’t look good.

“Ultimately, it (the black livery) looks so much better,” said Hamilton in an interview.

Also read: Red Bull F1’s Advisor Helmut Marko Questions Legality of Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin

Lewis Hamilton not happy with Mercedes W14

When the 2022 season, Hamilton publicly that he was elated to see the back of the W13. It was arguably one of the most difficult cars he ever drove, and he went the entire year win-less for the first time in his illustrious F1 career.

2023 was supposed to be a year of comeback for the Silver Arrows, but the first race of the year was abysmal for Hamilton and co. The W14 looked very slow during the race, and slipped below Aston Martin in the pecking order.

Hamilton has not given up on his team to fight back (at least publicly) but did not hold back while slamming them for not listening to his feedback over the winter break. He stated that he knew that the W14 was not good, the moment he drove it for the first time.

Also read: Helmut Marko Aims Brutal Dig at Mercedes Rivals While Tooting Red Bull F1 Horn

Will Hamilton stay at Mercedes?

Hamilton has been with Mercedes since 2013, and has created history with the German outfit. He won six world championships with them, and helped the team win eight constructors’ titles. Currently, he is tied with Michael Schumacher as the driver with the most number of titles (7).

Currently 38 years old, Hamilton is desperate to move clear of Schumacher before he calls time on his F1 career. As a result, if Mercedes can’t provide him with a car to win, the Stevenage-born driver could look elsewhere with rumors linking him to Ferrari becoming stronger after the opening weekend in Bahrain.

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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