Hamilton turns to the past to fight for F1 future

Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton turns to the past to fight for F1 future

Mercedes driver is 64 points adrift of Max Verstappen

Ian Parkes

Sunday 29 May 2022 11:46

Lewis Hamilton has conceded to turning to his past in a bid to overcome his present struggles and deliver a brighter future for Mercedes.

After years of success, Hamilton and Mercedes are on the backfoot this year due to the new aerodynamic regulations for which they are still trying to find answers.

It has left Hamilton 64 points adrift of championship leader Max Verstappen ahead of Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix for which the Briton starts from eighth on the grid.

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The seven-time champion is currently on a run of four races without a podium, his worst streak since 2013, yet he has managed to take solace from how he has dug deep.

"I will say that past experiences have helped during this phase," explained Hamilton.

"I would say it is reassuring the strength I know I have mentally, and also reassuring that I still love my job, I still love the challenge even if it's not fighting for wins.

"I'm still enjoying this battle that we're having internally with the car and trying to chase down these other guys."

Hamilton not Mercedes' team leader

Despite his record-equalling championship haul, Hamilton is assumed by many to be the de facto team leader at Mercedes, especially with a new, younger team-mate this year in George Russell.

With Russell two places and 28 points ahead of Hamilton in the standings, the 37-year-old has batted away the suggestion of a hierarchy.

"I wouldn't say that I'm the leader," said Hamilton. "George and I work equally as hard together, I would say, to help drive the team and row just as hard as everyone else in the team.

"But through adversity and challenging times, you always learn more about yourself, how you deal with things, how you reflect on things, how you are able to turn negatives into positives."