In a wholesome bit of news, Sir Lewis Hamilton has posted a picture of himself as a child in his karting days to symbolise that he is “still that same kid.”
Hamilton has endured a tough start to the 2022 season in an underperforming Mercedes, and he has managed a best finish of third after taking advantage of Red Bull’s reliability struggles.
However, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was the first time he had crossed the finish line outside the points since 2013 when he ended 13th, and he has not been on the rostrum since the opening round in Bahrain.
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The Briton has faced inevitable criticism while being out-performed in four consecutive races by new team-mate George Russell, and both Jacques Villeneuve have suggested that he might be thinking of quitting.
As always, Hamilton is determined to rise above that, and he posted a picture on Instagram of him as a kid wearing sunglasses outside a garage followed by a picture of him in the Mercedes garage this year, also donning some snazzy eyewear.
“At the end of the day, still that same kid,” was the caption.
Indeed, the Briton has time and again shown his unbelievable talent. His infamous performance in Turkey in GP2 16 years ago announced him into the big leagues, and he out-qualified Fernando Alonso nine times in his first year in 2007, missing out on the championship to Kimi Raikkonen by one point after winning four races that season.
His first title followed a year later and the rest, as they say, is history.
His inspirational post follows on from his comment that Mercedes’ predominantly midfield fight this year is still racing, just not quite as he is used to having won four of the last five titles.
“It’s still racing, just a different perspective, a different point of view,” he said, quoted by RacingNews365.com.
“You always want to generally try and go forwards, but I will say it’s quite difficult when you’re not really going forwards. “
As for the comments linking him with retirement, he intends to use them to push even harder for results.
“That’s a part of life, naturally I’ve seen some of the things [from] people I’ve grown up admiring and even people in the sport that have come out with certain comments, some disrespectful, some just not particularly respectful of my name,” added the 37-year-old.
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“I think for me, I take that as fuel, I’m putting that into the pot and I’m turning that into a positive and I’m going to come back stronger.”
Hamilton’s Mercedes team sit third in the Constructors’ Standings, 62 points off leaders Ferrari as they arrive in Barcelona hoping that a new “high-load” setup can help them maximise the corners and get closer to the fight for victories.