The 2022 season was an absolute disaster for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, as the team picked up only a single victory, coming courtesy of George Russell in Brazil.
The new regulations proved to be a massive stumbling block for the team, causing the W13 to be majorly uncompetitive and harbouring a severe porpoising issues.
Despite finishing the year without a win, Hamilton is set to sign a multi-year contract extension with the team, with the Brit admitting that it is his dream to retire as a world champion.
The W14 was unveiled last week, with Mercedes returning to the black livery that brought them so much success prior to 2022, and Hamilton has admitted that he has never been more excited to test drive a new car.
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“I had this great [winter] break and I can’t remember the last time I felt as excited to get in the car, even to test,” he said.
“I’m excited, I feel reinvigorated, really excited to work with the team. It’s been great to see just how focused everybody is, how pumped everyone is.
“Obviously, I saw the car in the wind tunnel in December, and this week is the most exciting week when you see all the pieces come together.
“The car looks streamlined, you can see it’s an evolution. When the engineers take you through what they’ve done, why they’ve done it, and what we’re hoping to get from it, it’s like Christmas – you’re just waiting to be able to open your present and get in.
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“Physically, I feel great. I’m very much focused on trying to raise the bar in that area. It’s going to be a challenge, and that’s what I live for.”
Currently sitting level with the legendary Michael Schumacher on seven world championship titles, Hamilton would become the greatest F1 driver of all time if he was able to win another championship this year.
The W14 is set to be significantly more competitive that the W13 however, with Mercedes expected to sandbag in pre-season, fans will not get a true idea of how the Silver Arrows stack up against Red Bull and Ferrari until the Bahrain Grand Prix next month.