Lewis Hamilton has opened up on his difficult start to the season and his form since last winning a grand prix as he continues his Mercedes farewell tour
Lewis Hamilton has admitted he has “had enough” of his lack of grand prix success and is determined to change his fortunes during his final season at Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton, 39, announced the surprise decision back in February to leave Mercedes at the end of the season and move to Ferrari for 2025. Despite signing a new multi-year deal just eight months ago, the Brit has chosen to move on in “one of the hardest decisions” in his career.
However, it has been a difficult start to his last campaign at Mercedes. Hamilton has not finished inside the top five in any of the opening six races, with a sixth-place finish at the Miami Grand Prix his highest placing. That has left him down in ninth on just 27 points in the Drivers’ Standings.
His form has not been impressive for some time, though. In fact, Hamilton last won a grand prix during the penultimate race of the 2021 season and has not finished on the podium since his second-place finish in Mexico in October. Despite this, Hamilton is eager to turn his form around.
“I think everyone in the team, they want it to be a great year,” he told CBS. “Everyone’s worked so hard back at the factory, no less than ever before.
“For me, this whole journey has been massively emotional just because I have so much love for this team. I’m not leaving because I’m unhappy there. I’m not leaving because of relationship issues.
“Mercedes supported me since I was 13 so I love the brand. I love the people. They’ve been with me through thick and thin. So it’s definitely a strange transition at the moment.”
Lewis Hamilton had won a grand prix in every single season since his debut year in 2007 up until the 2022 campaign and he could be on course for three successive campaigns without a victory.
“It’s been tough,” he admitted. “Of course we exist to win and when you’re not winning, your perspective has to shift. And it’s just been about chasing and it’s about improvement. It’s about coming together.
“How can we make improvements? How can we get back to where we want to be and rallying and everyone out? I actually really enjoyed that experience. But three years in now, we’re like, okay, I’ve had enough of this, let’s get back to where we belong.”
