Hamilton makes spooky "ghost" claim against Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton has claimed it felt as though Mercedes was dealing with 'a ghost in the car' as it fought against issues with its troublesome W13 over the course of the past F1 season.

Mercedes' campaign got off to a slow start as it lost control of the constructors' championship it had dominated the previous eight years.

Porpoising experienced within the sport's new aerodynamic era hit Mercedes hard, with Hamilton and team-mate George Russell unable to battle Red Bull and Ferrari at the front.

But hope was raised at the Spanish Grand Prix where, despite not being the fastest, a step forward allowed both drivers to at least be competitive in the race.

Optimism was dented in the following races, however, as the car performance slipped backward again.

Mercedes eventually overcame some of the fundamental issues via development with a final upgrade in the United States helping push Russell to the team's only win of the year in Brazil.

Reviewing the season for Mercedes, when asked where he felt the season turned for the better, Hamilton said: "The first big step was Barcelona, that was our first hint of there being more potential in the car.

"It turned out to be a bit of a false positive; the car was good there but then the races afterward were difficult.

"It was like a ghost was in the car and it kept coming back.

"But then there was France and that felt like a good step with our first double podium of the season.

"And then there was Austin, too, with the update we had working well."

Mercedes' "toughest year" - Hamilton

Hamilton pulled no punches in proclaiming 2022 to be the toughest year for Mercedes over the past decade.

The seven-time F1 champion, however, agreed with team principal Toto Wolff that it was also the team's most important season given what will have been learned from a major challenge.

"If you look back at the team's entire history, it was here a long time before Toto and I joined and they had some really difficult years," assessed Hamilton.

"Some of the people have been here for over 20 years and really been through the thick of it.

"I would say for our current team, in terms of the last 10 years, this has been the toughest year for everyone along with the most strengthening.

"There has been so much resistance, so much we have been up against, and I am thankful that we have.

"There are many people working here, along with many new people in the team, and this experience has been good for them, too.

"When we win, there is a different gratitude now because it happened so often before."

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