- Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged that he disliked driving his Mercedes car
- Porpoising problems plagued it
- His worst race is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged that he disliked driving his Mercedes car throughout the 2022 season.
He says that he was sick and tired of the porpoising problems he experienced, particularly in the first half of the season. The engineering issues with this car denied him a championship title for the second year in a row.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen sped to his second consecutive title and set the record for most victories in a season. Hamilton finished at a distant sixth after Carlos Sainz, George Russell, Sergio Perez, and Charles Leclerc.
The 37-year-old revealed there were times throughout the year when he did not love driving his car for competition in a series of images reflecting on the season alongside fellow Brit Russell.
He says there are moments when he is frustrated because the car couldn’t do what he wanted when he needed it to perform. It bounced a lot (porpoise), an issue Mercedes engineers could solve in good time.
Lewis Hamilton. Photo by Planet f1
Russell recounts there were instances when Hamilton had to contend with the bouncing, and it caused him actual discomfort. The worst of all remains the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he was seen having difficulty getting out of the vehicle.
“The one [photo] I remember is this one [Hamilton holding his back in pain after Baku] I remember the most just because of the pain that I was in. That weekend I went lower than you on the rear, ride height, it was much worse on my car. Painful for both of us I think,” he recalls.
Russell outlined both drivers’ challenges and Hamilton’s admission that he tried to do too much with the car. It was before the Austrian Grand Prix crash that caused him to exit Q3. The car was being pushed past its breaking point.
Russell said the car was so tough to drive with the bouncing at the beginning of the year. When you’re competing for pole position, you want to squeeze out that last bit, but it wasn’t where we wanted it to be.
Lewis Hamilton yellow helmet. Photo/Sportskeeda
Hamilton is certain that he will be driving a great car in the 2023 season despite the numerous problems he encountered over the year. Despite it all, Hamilton has gained a great deal of knowledge and growth through the 2022 season.
He is confident that the Mercedes team will create a fantastic vehicle for him in the 2023 season. The seven-time F1 champion could stay at Mercedes for the next five years, going by sentiments team principal Toto Wolff made recently.
The British driver says he still has several years left in Formula One before he retires. He assured his fans he is not about to retire anytime soon. The British F1 driver said it was tough to predict how long he would stay in the sport but that he was undoubtedly not planning on quitting any time soon when asked if he would play for another five years.
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