Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff his expecting the team’s 2024 car to boost Lewis Hamilton’s spirit, after the seven-time World Champion was downbeat at the recent season finale.
Hamilton looked relieved that the 2023 season was over at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he endured yet another frustrating weekend.
The 38-year-old was eliminated in Q2 for the second race in succession, something which he hadn’t done since 2014.
His final race of the year didn’t go much better, as he only made up two places to finish in ninth place.
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In his defence, the Stevenage-born driver was nursing a brake problem, which limited his progress.
It summed up what was another frustrating campaign for the 103-time race winner, despite the fact he claimed third in the Drivers’ Championship.
Most drivers on the grid would be thrilled with P3; however, Hamilton was more disgruntled at how inconsistent the W14 had been throughout the year.
Mercedes’ pace drastically varied from race-to-race, making it difficult for the veteran to exploit the car’s maximum performance.
The Silver Arrows are still well behind Max Verstappen and Red Bull, resulting in them completely changing their development direction for 2024.
Another new concept will be introduced by the Brackley-based team, which Wolff recently revealed will have a “few interesting details” which haven’t been seen on the grid yet.
Wolff is hopeful that the work being put into the 2024 car will rejuvenate Hamilton, who clearly still believes that the Germans can turn it around.
“Next year’s car is going to be more conventional in what you would expect from a Formula 1 car,” Wolff told FormulaNerds. “But there are a few interesting details that we have not seen on other cars yet.”
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Hamilton wouldn’t have signed a two-year extension if he wasn’t confident in Mercedes giving him a good car, something they’ve failed to do the last two seasons.
Time is running out for him to claim an unprecedented eighth title, with the Silver Arrows arguably being under more pressure than ever before to give him a car capable of winning.
The fact his career is reaching its end is possibly why he’s been so honest with his frustrations, as he knows better than anyone that he’s running out of chances to eclipse Michael Schumacher.