“Is it me or the car,” Lewis Hamilton admits to doubting himself in the cockpit of the W14 during 2023

Mercedes's W14 proved too trickly to handle during the 2023 F1 season.

“Is it me or the car,” Lewis Hamilton admits to doubting himself in the cockpit of the W14 during 2023

Lewis Hamilton's crashed W14 during Qatar GP earlier this year. (Via IMAGO)

Lewis Hamilton, the Mercedes Formula 1 driver, finished the 2023 season in third position in the Drivers Championship. But despite his solid campaign in a lackluster Mercedes W14, he has admitted that there were moments during the campaign where he questioned his ability at the pinnacle of motor racing.

From the very start of the 20323 F1 season, it was evident that the Mercedes outfit was going to have a tough campaign in comparison to the lights of Red Bull. The W14 proved too tricky to tame throughout and neither of the Brackley-based team’s drivers were overly pleased with its state.

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While Hamilton despite the problems with the car managed a respectable third place at the end of the campaign, he feels that on a few occasions, he started questioning himself. He told Silverarrows.net,

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Ultimately when you have difficult seasons like this, there are always going to be moments when you’re like: ‘Is it me, or is it the car?"
Do you still have it? Has it gone? Because you’re missing that, you know… When the magic happens, when everything comes together, the car and you, and that spark, it’s extraordinary. And that’s what you’re in the search for.

Looking at the reaction of the Brit, it seems that he had a pretty challenging time during this year’s F1 campaign.

Lewis Hamilton had the upper hand on George Russell in 2023

While Lewis Hamilton has indicated that he had his tough moments during the 2023 F1 season, one thing that he did not have much trouble dealing with was the challenge of his teammate, George Russell. To the surprise of many, Russell had a very indifferent 2023 F1 campaign, especially considering what he pulled off in 2022.

Mercedes' George Russell and Lewis Hamilton
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton (Credits: Planet F1)

That year, Russell had his first full season with Mercedes and against all the odds, he managed to get the better of Hamilton in the drivers battle. However, with the 2023 campaign, the older Brit has bounced back strongly and made Russell realize why he was at the top in F1 for a long time.

Lewis Hamilton is currently 38 years old and thus, does not have many years left in him. He wants to win his record-breaking eighth world title and the onus is really on Toto Wolff and Co. to provide him with a title-worthy car in the upcoming years of the pinnacle of motor racing.

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