Lewis Hamilton is filled with gratitude for the people at Mercedes after enduring their toughest F1 seasons in the past 10 years.
It is actually about 10 years when Mercedes kick-started their dominant run from 2014 F1 season after few years of running in the midfield in the previous era. The hybrid switch got them to a dominant position where others struggles to match for long.
The power unit has been top notch with only Honda managing to beat them with Ferrari coming close but still not enough. As is with the regulation cycle, the 2022 changes on the car side finally undid the dominance of Mercedes in F1.
For the first time since 2014, Mercedes did not win the championship and actually finish third behind Ferrari. While the power unit wasn’t a huge problem, it was the design and porpoising which hampered their run and they almost did not have a race win.
But gradual improvement during the course of the year did help them and made them confident about 2023. It was teamwork as Hamilton pointed it out after noting the 2022 season to be their toughest ones in the last 10 years.
“If you look back at the team’s entire history, it was here a long time before Toto and I joined and they had some really difficult years,” said Hamilton. “Some of the people have been here for over 20 years and really been through the thick of it. I would say for our current team, in terms of the last 10 years, this has been the toughest year for everyone along with the most strengthening.
“There has been so much resistance, so much we have been up against, and I am thankful that we have. There are many people working here, along with many new people in the team, and this experience has been good for them too. When we win, there is a different gratitude now because it happened so often before,” summed up Hamilton.
Individually as well, after a hard loss of 2021, Hamilton had to come back and give it all in a difficult car. He is not only grateful to his team members but also for the fan support he has had all year round, especially after how last year went.
“It’s been a very hard year for everyone,” said Hamilton. “For me, it’s been challenging in ways that I wasn’t expecting, but I am incredibly grateful for that. I have felt more growth this year as a man, in terms of internal strength, than I have in many other years. I think this has been the greatest year in my career in terms of fan support.
“There has been so much love and that’s so appreciated in a time where the world is going through a really tough period. To see everyone excited for our sport, weekend in, weekend out, is so good. It’s the most excited I’ve seen the fans and the most passionate, so the support feels like it is magnified. I felt like we’ve been on a journey together more than ever before,” summed up Hamilton.
Here’s how the F1 2022 teams were categorised in ranking: https://formularapida.net/f1-2022-teams-categorised-in-tier-system-for-their-performances/
Here’s how the F1 2022 drivers were categorised in ranking: https://formularapida.net/f1-2022-drivers-categorised-in-tier-system-for-their-performances/
Here’s drivers’ list of Top 10 drivers
Here’s the team bosses list of Top 10 drivers
Here’s Mercedes pair on multiple topics for 2022
Here’s Lewis Hamilton picks his races of 2022
Here’s Mercedes pair on moments for Mercedes in 2022
Here’s George Russell on relation with Lewis Hamilton
Here’s Mick Schumacher joining Mercedes
Here’s Mercedes on being tough situation already in testing