Lewis Hamilton has been leading the charge at Mercedes in improving the W14. The recently concluded Spanish GP proved fruitful for the team, and the former F1 World Champion, Damon Hill, has credited Lewis Hamilton for the relentless encouragement he has provided to his team to improve the performance output of the W14.
Damon Hill, while summarising the Brackley-based team’s Spain outing and Lewis Hamilton’s encouragement to Sky Sports said, “Mercedes showed in the race they’ve leapfrogged the threat from Aston Martin and Ferrari on a circuit where it really pushes the car’s ability to look after its tyres and have good aero balance and good aero performance. It’s shown that it has the potential there.”
“All the circuits are different but Barcelona is one of those places that shows up pure performance, aero package and balance etc, which is why the Red Bulls were so dominant, or at least Max (Verstappen) was. So I think there are encouraging signs there for Mercedes definitely. Maybe this has unlocked more potential. But whether it’s able to unlock more potential to beat Red Bull is questionable because I think they are stuck with the fundamental chassis they have underneath [the car].”
“To hear Lewis say ‘I’m enjoying driving the car’. That’s a good sign and an indication for him because he’s been saying, I told you we should have done something earlier” Hill has made it known that he is immensely pleased with the efforts of Lewis Hamilton and ardently feels Mercedes has managed to finally get the jump on the lights of Ferrari and the Aston Martin F1 team. However, despite this, Mercedes has got some work to do to pose a challenge to Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton is leading Mercedes’ charge in 2023
While Damon Hill has indicated that the Mercedes F1 team is on the right path under the guidance of Lewis Hamilton, 2022 was not the former 7-time World Champion’s year. George Russell defeated him in the team battle, but during the ongoing campaign, he has looked in his groove and is currently ahead of his teammate.
As things stand, Hamilton has amassed 87 points in the season so far and is fourth in the Drivers Championship. George Russell, on the other hand, is not too far behind, with 65 points to his name. Things are improving at the German team at a steady pace, and both Hamilton and Russell want the team to keep putting their best foot forward when it comes to improvements on the W14.
The Red Bull F1 team has looked in a league this year and has comfortably dominated its competition. Considering this fact, it will be immensely crucial for the Toto-Wolff-led team to do everything in its power to close the gap to Max Verstappen and Co. at the front end of the 2023 F1 grid.
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