Heading into the 2023 season, Lewis Hamilton would have been hoping that Mercedes would be able to provide him with a title winning car once again.
The 2022 season was a disaster for the Silver Arrows, with the team being unable to design a W13 capable of being competitive under the new regulations.
Lewis Hamilton finished the season without a single win to his name after Mercedes chose to stick with their zero sidepod concept this season, the Brit could be in for another disappointing season.
The seven-time world champion finished the Bahrain Grand Prix in fifth place, over 50 seconds behind eventual winner Max Verstappen and Hamilton looks set for another struggle in Jeddah.
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Following Charles Leclerc’s grid penalty, George Russell will start the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix from P3 but disappointingly for Hamilton, he will be all the way back in P7.
This poor qualifying result compared to his teammate will have frustrated Hamilton but the bounce-back king is hoping that his mentality can help him recover to a better finish at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
“In this session, I did the best I could,” he said dejectedly after qualifying.
“I’ll try and show up with a positive mindset [to the race] and give it another shot.”
Lewis Hamilton won the first even Saudi Arabian Grand Prix back in 2021 and the Mercedes driver will be hoping that he can enjoy another positive race in Jeddah this weekend.
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Having struggled in qualifying, Hamilton will be hoping that he can quickly pass the Alpine of Esteban Ocon to begin battling with the Aston Martins and Ferrari ahead of him.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is one of the most dramatic and exciting on the calendar and with a safety car being deployed at both of the previous races at the circuit, Hamilton will be hoping to take advantage of various events this weekend.
Should the safety car or red flag be brought out during the Grand Prix, Hamilton will have a real chance of leapfrogging drivers on different strategies to try and secure a positive result for himself and his team.