With the start of the 2023 season just a matter of hours away, Mercedes have shared an incredible piece of artwork on social media, which shows a young Lewis Hamilton staring at his 2023 car through a window.
2023 will be Hamilton’s 17th season at the pinnacle of motorsport and his 11th with the Silver Arrows, as he prepares once again to go for an unprecedented eighth World Championship.
Hamilton is statistically the greatest F1 driver of all-time, yet he continues to push himself to new heights, both physically and mentally.
He continues to dream big, with the 103-time race winner having never let anyone “dissuade” him.
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“Small kid, big dreams. Persist in pursuing your dreams, and do not allow anyone to dissuade you,” wrote Mercedes on social media, along with the incredible artwork by Andrew Mytro.
The Mercedes driver is likely going to have to dig deep once again this season, with the W14 not looking like a car capable of battling Ferrari and Red Bull.
Pre-season testing was somewhat disappointing for the Brackley-based team, with the car having struggled with rear grip issues as well as balance-based problems.
George Russell even stopped on-track during the second day, following a hydraulic problem.
The likelihood is that Mercedes won’t be fighting for victories until they introduce a reported large upgrade at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where changes could be made to their ‘zero sidepod’ design.
Mercedes have stuck with their sidepod philosophy for 2023; however, team principal Toto Wolff has suggested that it could be changed should it not work once again.
Hamilton knows that the team has a “mountain to climb”, but that he has full belief in his team to turn it around once again.
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“It’s been an interesting few days, it’s never easy,” Hamilton said, as reported by Sky Sports. “There’s been a lot of discovery.
“I think the thing I’ve been most impressed with is, it’s my 11th year with the team and everyone’s turned up with the same mentality, working hard, no one’s been complacent.
“We realise that we have a mountain to climb and no one’s fussed, everyone has just kept their heads down so I’m really proud of that.”