The 2022 season started with great promise, as Red Bull and Ferrari went neck to neck for race wins in the opening races. On the other hand, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton were really struggling to find their feet, as the regulation changes hit them hard.
Unfortunately for fans of the sport, the season started to become one horse race as it progressed. Ferrari’s strategic blunders and reliability concerns counted them out of several races which handed points to Red Bull and Max Verstappen. The Dutchman began to dominate the campaign towards the middle of the season and ended it with 15 race wins and his second consecutive World Championship.
Meanwhile, it was a very quiet year for Mercedes and Hamilton. They were slower than the top two teams for the majority of the season but caught up to Ferrari towards the end. For the last few races, fans anticipated a three-way tussle for wins, which was exciting for the sport as a whole. While talking about the upcoming campaign, Hamilton stated that he wants teams apart from the ‘big three’
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Lewis Hamilton wants McLaren and Alpine to join them at the front
McLaren and Alpine produced a thrilling battle for P4 in the Constructors’ championship in 2022. The former showed great signs of progress in previous seasons, but 2022 saw them take a step backward. Alpine meanwhile, was incredibly consistent with Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon fighting for points on a regular basis.
Hamilton feels that both these teams have the potential to improve in the coming season, and hopes that they join the battle at the front. For himself, he is confident that Mercedes can return to winning ways once again, and that Red Bull and Ferrari will continue to challenge. However, he also asks for Alpine and McLaren to become championship contenders.
“I’d like to think that we’re going to be the ones that are competing with them and being able to beat them Red Bull again,” Hamilton said to formula1.com. “But I really hope that Ferrari are strong in the following years.”
“I hope that it’s more than a two-way battle next year. I hope there’s at least three of us. If not, surprisingly, maybe more. Like, why can’t McLaren be there? We’ll see. Or even Alpine’s been doing amazing. So, we’ll see.”
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