Lewis Hamilton reveals rare positive during Mercedes 'dark struggles'

Hamilton, las vegas, 2023 — Photo: © LAT Images

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Hamilton reveals rare positive during Mercedes 'dark struggles'

The praise comes despite a poor season

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 1 January 2024 09:57

Lewis Hamilton has commended his team's efforts in 2023, despite yet another winless season for the seven-time world champion.

The Mercedes driver said that his team's resilience throughout the year was 'really impressive to see', citing their struggles over the past couple of seasons.

Hamilton is now without a Formula 1 race victory since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and has suffered two seasons in an underperforming car not capable of challenging for wins.

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While Mercedes did win one race in 2022 through George Russell at the Brazilian GP, they did not manage to threaten Red Bull's dominance at all in 2023, with Hamilton's disqualification at the United States GP being the closest they came.

Despite this, Hamilton's performances were strong, and a third place finish in the drivers' championship behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez represented a maximised result for the 38-year-old.

Lewis Hamilton has had to put up with a struggling Mercedes car for the last two seasons

Both Lewis Hamilton and team-mate George Russell have recently signed new contracts to stay as team-mates until the end of the 2025 season at least

George Russell was the last Mercedes driver to win a Grand Prix, at the Brazilian GP in 2022

Hamilton on a learning curve

Now, there is optimism from the team heading into 2024, and Hamilton is keen to learn from his 2023 season.

"I think it's strengthened my resilience," he told Mercedes' official X page.

"It's been really impressive to see just how resilient my team have been, how they continue to push, how they've never given up.

"It's been really great for perspective, it's definitely been more of a struggle trying to get through the dark and the low moments and picking ourselves back up and just keep getting back up on the horse and keep pushing."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Sergio Perez 2023