When Mercedes’ 2023 car felt exactly like their miserable 2022 rival during the preseason test, Lewis Hamilton was not impressed.
Lewis Hamilton has explained why he was “frustrated” at the beginning of the 2023 season after realizing that his suggestions made at the conclusion of the previous season had not been taken into consideration.
Hamilton thought the W14 would be more formidable than the W13, the “diva,” when he arrived at the preseason test in Bahrain. Sadly, this wasn’t the case.
The seven-time World Champion remembers that when he first got behind the wheel of the W14, he thought it felt “exactly the same” as the team’s 2022 vehicle, in which he was unable to secure a single win or pole position.
Hamilton became irate upon realizing that the modifications he had requested for the car after 2022 “weren’t done.”
At the Monaco Grand Prix this year, Mercedes ultimately abandoned their “zero sidepod” philosophy; however, they will now debut a new design in 2024.
Hamilton’s season in 2023 hasn’t gone as planned because the car wasn’t good enough to win; his best finish may have been pole position in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
It would have been very easy for the 103-time race winner to get irritated given that his feedback wasn’t taken into consideration prior to 2023; however, he chose to put in a lot of effort working with the Brackley-based squad to address their issues.
When he looks back on 2023, the 38-year-old says he’s stayed “much more positive” and has contributed to the Silver Arrows’ success.
He does not, however, disguise the fact that he was not happy at first.
When comparing the W14 to the W13, Hamilton told BBC Sport, “I remember it feeling exactly the same.”
And it was undoubtedly a bad feeling. I was really optimistic.
“I’m sure there were annoyances since I requested certain adjustments and they weren’t completed. Nobody was certain of the nature of the issue or how to resolve it.
“With the knowledge from the previous year, I simply put in the effort to sit with the guys and dig in.” Our meetings were going much better.
“Throughout the year, I was able to maintain a lot more optimism and say things like, Let’s not give up; it will be a long season. Let’s continue to strive for whatever outcome we can get out of the car.
“I believe that they believed that the fundamentals are good and we just have to go here for this year. Furthermore, it wasn’t true. I was upset in February because they hadn’t implemented the changes I had requested for this reason”.
