Lewis Hamilton has revealed that his struggles during 2023 has “strengthened my resilience”, with him keen to learn from his and the team’s mistakes last year.
Despite finishing third in the Drivers’ Championship and 59 points ahead of George Russell, 2023 was widely viewed as another frustrating season for Hamilton, as he endured another winless campaign.
Hamilton is now without a race win in two years, with his last victory still being the dramatic 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Perhaps more concerningly, Mercedes in general failed to win in 2023, meaning they’ve still only got one win to their name since the current aerodynamic regulations were introduced in 2022.
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The Silver Arrows, Hamilton and Russell all worked tirelessly last season to try and rescue something from the year, with second in the Constructors’ Championship being their reward.
However, the Brackley-based team haven’t stopped since the conclusion of the most recent season, as the decision has been made to start from scratch and introduce an entirely new concept for the 2024 campaign.
Mercedes are hungry to return to winning ways and put an end to the “dark and low moments”, something Hamilton admits has been a challenge to work through.
2023 in particular really tested the Germans, given that they just seemed completely baffled as to why the W14 was behaving in certain unwelcomed ways.
This was evident at the 2023 Brazilian Grand Prix, where Mercedes were beaten by some of the midfield teams, despite the fact they won at Interlagos in 2022, courtesy of Russell.
It’s clear that Mercedes and Hamilton have learnt an incredible amount from last year and are eager to get “back up on the horse” when action gets underway at the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is rapidly approaching.
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“I think it’s strengthened my resilience,” Hamilton told Mercedes’ official X page.
“It’s been really impressive to see just how resilient my team have been, how they continue to push, how they’ve never given up.
“It’s been really great for perspective, it’s definitely been more of a struggle trying to get through the dark and the low moments and picking ourselves back up and just keep getting back up on the horse and keep pushing.”