“We’ve pulled together more than ever,” Lewis Hamilton sees the positive side of Mercedes’ struggles in 2022


“We’ve pulled together more than ever,” Lewis Hamilton sees the positive side of Mercedes’ struggles in 2022

Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton is an icon of the sport. He’s an ambassador for the sport and a great champion, but he also has a ‘celebrity’ life, unlike many other drivers on the grid. He’s not afraid to be himself, and that has always been to his credit. But of course, his personality and the way he carries himself in public has changed quite a bit since his debut back in 2007.

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In an interview with County&Townhouse, Lewis Hamilton was quizzed about how he maintains ‘balance’ in his life, among a variety of things. Among these questions were how his ‘image of success’ has changed through his career, with him conceding that it’s changed ‘a lot’.

Hamilton explained: “Yeah, that’s actually a really good question, it’s shifted a lot. I think as a kid, I really put a lot of pressure on myself and really felt that you know…have you ever seen Talladega Nights and he’s like ‘If you ain’t first, you’re last’? Yeah. My life was really like that. I was not happy unless I was first.” but he is no longer that ‘competitive’.

Also Read: ‘I look forward to you guys failing’ ‘Not the driver you need’ ‘Big mistake’: Reviewing the reactions to Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes move 10 years after the announcement

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Lewis Hamilton: ‘It’s the journey, not necessarily the end result’

Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton

2022 presented Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton with an almost unprecedented challenge: For the first time in a long time, the car is no longer dominant, or even good enough to compete consistently for wins. With 6 races to go, Mercedes have perhaps competed for the win in 1 or 2 Grands Prix, but even in those, they ended up losing convincingly.

But this year did help Lewis Hamilton, and he said that the team have pulled together in this ‘trying time’: “And in actual fact, this year has been a really great experience. You know, as a team, we’ve not been at the front fighting for wins. But we’ve really pulled together more than ever. And we appreciate even more, through these difficult times the small steps that we do take.”

This year has made them appreciate the steps in the process: “Me and Ange (Angela Cullen), my physio, we qualified forth as our highest qualifying one time this year, and it was so emotional for us. She’s high-fiving everyone. You know, it’s not first but it’s just really acknowledging the steps that you are taking in progress. I think that’s something that we’ve appreciated more than ever this year.”

The Briton explained that the process will make the moment when they actually win much more enjoyable, and so this year has been about other things, such as keeping morale up and being better teammates, concluding by quoting the phrase ‘It’s the journey, not necessarily the end result.’

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Also Read: Lewis Hamilton in 2020 vs Max Verstappen in 2022: Who would have come out on top in this epic battle of heavyweights

Also Read: ‘You can compare the two situations’ Ross Brawn finds mirror similarities between Lewis Hamilton in 2022 and Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes stint