Lewis Hamilton issues Mercedes plea ahead of 2024 F1 season

Lewis Hamilton in Japan — Photo: © LAT Images

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Hamilton issues Mercedes plea ahead of 2024 F1 season

Lewis Hamilton has been very clear about what he needs from Mercedes after another winless season

Becky Hart

Thursday 30 November 2023 18:57

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Mercedes' second-place finish in the constructors' championship marked an improvement on the previous year – but that hasn’t stopped Lewis Hamilton from making it immediately clear that P2 still isn’t good enough for the former world champions.

Red Bull crushed the opposition in 2023, winning an unprecedented 21 of 22 races, with Max Verstappen sauntering to a third straight world title.

Hamilton is well aware of the challenges his team face in reeling in and passing the Bulls, especially in the new ground effect era.

Verstappen won an incredible 19 races in 2023

George Russell scored a podium in Abu Dhabi to help his team clinch P2 overall

Lewis Hamilton had a disappointing final race coming home down the order

Can Mercedes chase down Red Bull?

It might have been Russell who excelled in the final race of the season, clinging on to P3 to make sure he saw the team over the line – but it was Hamilton who scored the lion’s share of the points this season, with six podium finishes to his team-mate's two.

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But his seven world titles weren’t built on podiums, they were built on wins – and that’s exactly what Hamilton is chasing, having signed a contract extension in the summer that keeps him with the Silver Arrows until the end of 2025.

“We're not where we want to be yet, we want to be fighting for championships. We need to dig deep over winter and come back stronger next year.”

Hamilton: Mercedes team is strong

Despite his desire for further improvements in 2024, Hamilton was nevertheless delighted to hold off a late Ferrari charge in the constructors' standings.

"I'm happy we've managed to secure P2, it was a great effort by the team at track and both in Brackley and Brixworth," Hamilton said.

"Given that we've not had a competitive car for much of the season, the result shows we are a strong team.

"George [Russell] did a great job, it was close with Ferrari but we held on. I hope everyone back at the factory is happy. I'm grateful for all the hard work they have put in this season."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Mercedes George Russell