2022 turned out to be a very difficult season for Mercedes. After eight years of dominance, the regulation changes ahead of the start of this campaign hit them hard. The Brackley-based outfit did not win their first and only race of the season until a week ago in Sao Paolo, and it’s their worst haul since the start of the turbo hybrid era.
George Russell ended up winning his first race of the season at Interlagos, but it was the first Lewis Hamilton ended a season winless. They made progress as the year progressed, but both drivers wanted the season to end so that they could prepare for a much stronger 2023 season. Hamilton also stated that the W13 was a car he won’t look back at with fond memories.
Mercedes’ team principal Toto Wolff on the other hand, was adamant that they need to remember how this season went. After the season finale in Abu Dhabi, he revealed that the W13 would be put on display back in their factory.
“We’re going to put this car in the reception in Brackley and Brixworth,” Wolff said. “To remind us every single day how difficult it can be.”
Mercedes certainly don’t want a repeat of the 2022 season once F1 returns next March. This is why they want to keep this campaign as a memory to work harder in 2023.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes ends 2022 season with retirement
Hamilton admitted before the race that he couldn’t wait for it to be over. For him, it’s been a very difficult season and his streak of winning every single year came to an end. There wasn’t much hope of winning coming into the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP, but he certainly wanted it to end differently than it did.
Hamilton was the off the pace from the get go, with both Ferraris and Red Bulls faster than the W13. However, towards the end of the race, mechanical issues forced him to finish his season in the pit lane.
For fans, it was also disappointing because they expected him to join Sebastian Vettel while the latter performed donuts in the main straight at the end of the race.
