Mercedes would have hoped that their eight-year winning streak in the constructors’ championship would have continued under the new regulations in 2022, having designed some amazing pieces of machinery in the turbo-hybrid era.
The major regulation changes that came into effect at the start of the year saw some radical designs shown off during pre-season testing in Bahrain, with some teams such as Mercedes choosing to almost remove their sidepods altogether.
As it turns out, Mercedes’ development path was the wrong one, as their design not only led their car to be slower than the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari, it also caused a violent bouncing due to the aerodynamics of the W13.
It took the team until the United States Grand Prix in Austin to truly provide Lewis Hamilton and George Russell with a car capable to challenging for race wins, meaning that the Silver Arrows spent more of the season battling with the likes of Alpine in the midfield than they did Red Bull at the front.
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Lewis Hamilton has explained that this humbling experience brought the team back down to earth and has given him a newfound appreciation for those teams lower down the grid than where he is used to fighting.
“I felt this real appreciation for all these other teams that are trying to do the same thing, with the same intentions, trying to be better and fighting for something,” said the seven-time world champion.
“Going through difficult times because they’ve built a car that’s clearly not capable of fighting at the front. It’s pretty cool to be a part of and to witness.”
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The 2022 season was the first time that Hamilton has finished a season without a win, having to sit back and watch his new teammate George Russell stand on the top step in Sao Paulo while he had to settle for second place.
At 37 years of age, the heartbreak of 2021 combined with the failures of 2022 might be enough for most drivers to call time on their career, but Hamilton has suggested that he now has an extra level of motivation to go and secure his record breaking eighth world title.
The Brit is coming to the end of his contract at Mercedes, and while nothing has officially been signed yet, team principal Toto Wolff has reassured fans that there is no chance that Hamilton does not continue with Mercedes next season.