Lewis Hamilton and George Russell enjoyed a good first day of running at F1’s Pre-season Test in Bahrain. The Duo completed 152 laps with the Mercedes W14, with Hamilton covering 83 laps.
Lewis recorded the 6th-best lap time of 1:33.508, just 0.6 seconds off leader Max Verstappen’s time. But the Briton’s performances showed promising signs for the Silver Arrows.
The W14 showed a good overall pace and looked in much better shape than the 2022 car. Mercedes also managed to curb the car’s bouncing, which plagued the team’s performances last year.
Hamilton returns back after a winless 2022 season. But the W14’s projections have already given the team some hope ahead of 2023’s stars. And team boss Toto Wolff predicts Hamilton will be a championship contender again.
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Wolff predicts a Stronger Lewis Hamilton in 2023
For the first time in 16 seasons, Lewis Hamilton finished a campaign without a win in 2022. The 7-time World Champions season was overshadowed by teammate George Russell who secured the team’s only win of the season in Brazil.
While the Mercedes W13 took the brunt of the blame for the Briton’s performance, Team Principal Toto Wolff was pleased by the W14 after Day 1 of Pre-season Testing. . Wolff assures the W14 is already much better than its predecessor, which is good news for the Hamilton fans.
He briefed, “The car seems to be balanced in the right way. There is no bouncing which is good news. It is a good starting point. We have had a productive morning.”
Toto predicts the Briton will bounce back this season and could fight for the 8th title if the car suits him. He added, “You need to provide a good car for a driver that has the ambition to win races and championships and we have that.”
Lewis is awaiting a new contract with Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton intends to stay with Mercedes until he retires from F1. But the Briton’s current contract expires at the end of the 2023 season. Lewis reportedly earns $49 Million per season and is the 2nd highest paid driver on the F1 grid behind Max Verstappen. But the driver’s new salary could potentially match his rival’s pay.
Mercedes and Lewis’s parties are both working on a new 2-year contract extension. The two parties have met 3 times and are working out the final details of his new contract.
Toto Wolff has recently updated that the process is heading positively. And that the team is committed to delivering him his elusive 8th Championship title that would see him break Michael Schumacher’s records.
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