Lewis Hamilton has been all over the news recently after shocking reports emerged that the seven-time F1 world champion is considering moving to rivals Ferrari from Mercedes. These reports emerged soon after the Silver Arrows made a poor start to the 2023 season.
Mercedes currently find themselves as the fourth-fastest team on the current grid as they just managed to secure a fifth (Lewis Hamilton) and seventh place (George Russell) at the season opener in Bahrain.
Soon after the Bahrain GP concluded, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff went on record to state that they have failed to produce a quick enough car for this season. As a result, he said he does not see his side having much success this year.
There seems to be a significant change in the morale in the Mercedes camp as compared to last season. Although the Silver Arrows began last season on the back foot, Hamilton remained optimistic.
The 38-year-old explained then how his team ‘don’t make mistakes’ and that he was confident that Mercedes would find answers to provide him with a championship-winning car.
However, things seemed to have changed significantly this season. The 38-year-old criticized the team for falling behind due to not taking his suggestions seriously.
Lewis Hamilton’s overconfidence seems to have backfired
After Mercedes seemed to be on the back foot at the end of pre-season testing last year, Lewis Hamilton was asked if he feared that the Silver Arrows would be unable to provide him with a car capable of fighting for the championship.
The Briton replied, “Why would I ever think that? We won eight in a row.” When the reporter asked if there was a chance that Mercedes could have made any mistakes, the 38-year-old replied, “My team don’t make mistakes.”
Hamilton had every right to be optimistic last season as his side entered the campaign on the back of winning eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships (2014-21).
The Briton himself won six of his seven championships with the Silver Arrows. However, Mercedes’ optimism ended soon last season after they failed to win any of the opening races. What’s worse this year as compared to last season, is that Mercedes already seem to have thrown in the towel.
Toto Wolff & Lewis Hamilton concede defeat
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and star driver Lewis Hamilton already seem to have conceded defeat after the first race of the season in Bahrain. Wolff has reportedly given his team an ultimatum of finding solutions in the next two or three races.
If the team cannot deliver, the Austrian motorsports executive wants to shift focus to the 2024 car and concede defeat for this campaign. And to make matters worse, he has already gone on record to state that he does not see Red Bull Racing losing any race this season.
As for Hamilton, he seems to be extremely frustrated with the start of Mercedes’ 2023 campaign. The Briton told BBC in an interview, “Last year, there were things I told them. I said the issues that are with the car.”
The 38-year-old claims that Mercedes did not listen to him, and now they are paying for it this year. If the Silver Arrows do not improve soon, it will be interesting to see whether or not Hamilton leaves the team at the end of the campaign.
Also Read: Lewis Hamilton Should Have Given Up Fight Against Fernando Alonso Claims Mercedes Chief
