Mercedes have not made an ideal start to the 2022 F1 season and will be looking for some stability ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Lewis Hamilton on his team’s chances
Mercedes have had a really tough start as a team. They have won the last eight constructors’ championships in Formula 1 but a title this season seems very unlikely. The indifferent start to the 2022 season definitely comes as a shock and surprise to the team and the F1 community in general.
Ahead of the race in Imola later today, things have gone from bad to worse for the team. Both drivers had a dismal outing which means George Russell will start from the 11th position in the grid while Lewis Hamilton is placed 14th. As things stand before the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Mercedes are third in the constructors’ championship with 65 points, way behind Ferrari (116), who occupy the first spot. In the current drivers’ championship, Russell is third while Hamilton is sixth.
Speaking on his team’s chances this season, Lewis Hamilton said, “We are obviously not fighting for the championship. But we are fighting to understand the car and improve and progress through the year. That’s all we can hope for right now. We stick together. We try to motivate everyone. This is the situation we are faced with.”
The British driver further added, “A lot of work is going on in the background. But it is what it is, it’s what we have. Ultimately, we haven’t got it right this year but everyone is working as hard as we can to correct it.”
Mercedes’ plight has returned Hamilton to a situation with which he has not been familiar for more than a decade. Not since 2009 has he driven a car this uncompetitive – and back then he was a hungry one-time world champion with so much more to achieve. Now, he is the most successful driver in the history of the sport, and will be 38 next year. But he says his determination to fight on and return to competitiveness is undiminished.”I am 100% committed to this team,” Hamilton said. “There is nowhere else I want to be, just because we have hit a rough patch, it is not in my DNA to back out. We can fix this. It is going to be a painful year that we are going to have to ride out together“, he added.
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