The new Formula 1 season didn’t start well for the seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton. Despite expectations that he’ll get back in contention after a disappointing 2022 campaign, Hamilton finished fifth at Bahrain GP, trailing the winner Max Verstappen by more than 50 seconds.
However, it turns out that the outcome was somewhat expected by Hamilton as he didn’t have high hopes for the performance of his Mercedes car in 2023. Speaking on Chequered Flag podcast earlier this week, the 38-year-old said that he tried to give the team advice on how to improve the car, but Mercedes “didn’t listen.”
“I’ve driven so many cars in my life. I know what a car needs. I know what a car doesn’t need,” said Hamilton.
“It’s about owning up and saying, ‘Yeah, you know what? We didn’t listen to you. It’s not where it needs to be, and we’ve got to work,’” he continued.
Hamilton added that despite the issues, he believes Mercedes will turn things around and “get it right moving forwards.”
The 2022 F1 season was tough for Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes failed to provide him with a car that would challenge Red Bull. Hamilton ended up finishing 6th in the standings, his lowest since making his F1 debut, while Mercedes ended its streak of eight consecutive constructor titles.
