Lewis Hamilton is literally reaching new heights during his post-season vacation. The seven-time world champion joined some friends for a little skydiving in the energetic city of Dubai, setting off on an exhilarating adventure.
The Mercedes driver chose a different kind of speed and excitement after the Abu Dhabi finale, while some of his Formula One competitors were occupied with post-season testing. Hamilton expressed his excitement for the days ahead in a recent interview with Viaplay following the end of the 2023 season, stating, “I’m not really looking forward to next year.” All I can think about is tomorrow.
The 38-year-old driver opened up to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport that he had a sneaking suspicion that the 2023 season with Mercedes would be difficult.
“It was quite annoying,” Hamilton said. “The car did not receive the modifications I had requested. You become affected by the feelings.
But there’s a ray of light for Mercedes and Hamilton yet to come. The engineers of the team are hard at work creating an entirely new car for the upcoming season, having recognized the fundamental flaws in the 2022 and 2023 car concept.
Hamilton is realistic about the team’s chances of overtaking Red Bull in spite of this effort. He said, “You can’t just throw everything away and start from scratch these days with limited resources.” Red Bull cannot even be simply copied; when Aston Martin attempted this, they discovered that the copy was not authentic.
For Hamilton, the 2023 season was also characterized by difficult contract negotiations. “Not during my contract negotiations,” Hamilton said in response to a question about whether he had ever doubted his ability to handle more challenges over the next two years. I have no doubt that we will succeed in our goals.
When Hamilton looked back on his Formula One career, he recognized the difficulties posed by the sport’s rising standards. “I’ve been doing it for sixteen years, and the seasons are getting longer and longer. It’s exhausting, he remarked.
Hamilton now finds inspiration in smaller wins, like cooperating with the team to move the car forward, despite his moments of doubt. It was reported that he was heavily involved in Mercedes’ conversations regarding Mike Elliott’s future—James Allison has taken over as technical director—in place of Elliott.
“I want to be clear up front that I have nothing to do with Mike leaving us. However, Hamilton clarified, “we are all members of a team in which the pieces of the puzzle have to fit together.” He highlighted Allison’s leadership abilities and called him a front-runner who leads the group through difficult situations.
Although Hamilton hasn’t noticed a decline in his physical health as he gets closer to 40, he acknowledges that his F1 retirement could occur at any time. “I really have no idea,” he smiled and said in closing. It could happen suddenly, and I’m gone. Or I assume a different persona. I still have an unhealthy obsession with racing, though. I’ll know it’s time to stop when I roll down the pitlane without a smile on my face. However, I hope it never does.
