Hamilton admits to self-doubt: 'Am only human
Lewis Hamilton has also admitted to self-doubt after his second consecutive winless year in Formula 1. The record world champion in motorsport's premier class once again had nothing to do with the title this year, while rival Max Verstappen triumphed for the third time in a row. Hamilton celebrated his last victory - his 103rd - on December 5, 2021 in Saudi Arabia.
"When you have tough seasons like this, there are always moments when you think: 'Is it me or is it the car? Do you still have it? Is it gone?" Hamilton said in an interview with the BBC that he was only human.
After 22 Grand Prix races this year, he was in third place in the standings with his Mercedes. He scored less than half as many points as Verstappen in first place. Sergio Pérez in the second Red Bull also finished the 2023 World Championship ahead of the 38-year-old Briton.
New Mercedes not good enough
That magic, when the moment comes that everything fits together, is simply missing, admitted Hamilton: "That's what you're looking for." Even after a major change during the season, when the concept without sidepods was adopted, the Silver Arrow, once again painted black, had not become a winning car. From time to time, there were at least hopes that the new path might promise improvement.
As early as February, when Hamilton drove his first kilometers in the new car, it was clear that it would not work out this year either. In addition, Red Bull achieved a masterpiece with the 2023 model and Verstappen proved to be practically unbeatable with 19 Grand Prix victories - out of a possible 22.
Hamilton even assumes that Verstappen didn't even have to give his all in the RB 19. "You can go through the lap times and some of Max's data - he was chilling at the front most of the time," said Hamilton: "I don't think he broke a sweat this year." Hamilton wants to change that next year. The new season starts in less than 100 days. There is enormous pressure on all of them, Hamilton emphasized.
Despite his self-doubt in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton aims to challenge Max Verstappen in the upcoming GP Abu Dhabi, hoping to turn his fortunes around in the premier class of motorsport. Despite the strengths of Red Bull's 2023 model and Verstappen's dominance with 19 wins, Hamilton believes there's room for improvement and intends to showcase his prowess on the Abu Dhabi track.
Source: www.dpa.com
