Lewis Hamilton was not a happy man throughout the 2023 F1 season, and for obvious reasons. The seven-time world champion was not at all content with the set-up of the car and constantly asked for rectifications. This, as he revealed recently, brought frustration into the team, as well as in him due to non-compliance.
Speaking about this, Hamilton said to the BBC, “I’m sure there were frustrations, because I had asked for certain changes [on the W14], and they weren’t done.” Following this, he further added, “No one knew exactly what the problem was. No one knew how to fix it.”
Thanks for all the love this season. Til next year ~ pic.twitter.com/Ijg851dfzg
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) November 27, 2023
Admittedly, the last two years have been the lowest points of his career—especially the 2022 F1 season when newbie George Russell beat veteran Hamilton at the same time. Furthermore, Russell took the only Mercedes win last year. As for Hamilton, he remained winless for the last two years, as his last GP win was in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021.
Nevertheless, Hamilton had big talks with the team to rectify the car and change the narrative. However, it wasn’t entirely possible as Mercedes were still trying to find the sweet spot of the car, although the issues with brake, balance, and drag were brought up.
How did the 2023 F1 season go for Lewis Hamilton?
Even though Lewis Hamilton was barely a driver in contention for the championship this year, his overall performance indeed improved. He finished last year in P6 under Russell, which is too winless.
Couldn’t have done it without you this season, LH ❤️ pic.twitter.com/VKPoHpK6tf
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 26, 2023
The next year saw the Silver Arrows get a bit better with their W14, but still, it failed to claim any win. For Hamilton, it was yet another winless year. All in all, the level of frustration reached the epitome of the British driver. However, he was the instrumental figure in keeping Mercedes afloat in the race for P2.
The 38-year-old was not happy driving the “sh*tbox” as termed by team principal Toto Wolff, therefore, wanted to part ways with the car as soon as possible. Nevertheless, Mercedes has big plans for Lewis Hamilton as they are on their way to bringing a radically new concept, along with rectifications in the floor, as well as in balance, and be more competitive.
