Lewis Hamilton taking new approach after being let down by Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton has opened up on the impact the difficult 2022 F1 season has had on him, in what has been a campaign where harsh lessons have had to be learned. After a heartbreaking and controversial defeat at the end of the 2021 season, the Brit and his Mercedes team were hoping to hit the ground running in 2022.According to the seven-time world champion, he was assured he would have a car capable of challenging for the title ahead of this season. But the W13 has been a far cry from the standards Mercedes have shown over the last seven years, struggling for pace on the straights and it suffered from significant porpoising earlier in the season.As a result, Mercedes have yet to record a race win this season and the inconsistency with the car was very disappointing for the motorsport legend and his team. ‘I wouldn’t say it’s been perfect for anyone,’ Hamilton explained. ‘I’m sure Toto would tell you it’s not been perfect for him.’We sat in February and we were all upbeat. They were all telling us we were going to have a massive quick car, and I’m sure everyone who was working on it was so hyped with all the hard work they put in through the winter. It’s such a gruelling time for everyone in the team, that’s when they really crunch and put in the crazy hours. In normal life you expect that period to be a more relaxed time for people.JUST IN: Lewis Hamilton responds as Brit asked if he’s the F1 GOAT over Michael Schumacher Lewis Hamilton explained how he was left disappointed with Mercedes’ car this season (Image: GETTY)’But to then find out the damn thing doesn’t work, and we’ve got bouncing, that was hard for everybody. Everyone was really struggling, I think. And we all went through our own process of how to deal with it. But I think surprisingly it’s been a really powerful transformational time for us all. We’ve got stronger and tighter as a team.’Hamilton, who has been a serial winner of the last several years, is in danger of losing his record of winning at least one race in every F1 season he has been a part of throughout his illustrious career. But despite his incredible mental strength and resilience, Hamilton explained how tough it has been to readjust competing predominantly in the middle of the pack or racing for podiums this season.’I think, from the initial phase, at the beginning, it didn’t feel too difficult,’ he reflects. ‘But definitely it started to wear down on you because you’re in the hope that you’re going to get back there and we didn’t for a while.DON’T MISSOne F1 driver at risk of race ban but Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen not in dangerLewis Hamilton’s answer when asked if he regrets becoming owner of NFL’s Denver BroncosLewis Hamilton details amazing conversation he had with King Charles when being knighted It has been a tough season for Hamilton and the silver arrows who have not won a race in 2022 so far (Image: GETTY)’Then, all of a sudden, we start having those races where we get into second and then the next race it’s [not]. The car is one weekend good, then it’s one, two, three, four not good, then it pops up. And you don’t know. ‘You do all the work in the simulator and the simulator’s telling you something different to what you get at the track. Just a confusing overall year of emotions. You think, the car feels quite good this weekend or the engineers say ‘ok we’ve got an upgrade that’s worth three tenths’ and you get there and it’s a tenth slower.’And you’re ‘oh shoot’. I think I’ve learned just not to get my hopes up with anything. It’s better to kind of under-expect and, if it’s just as good it’s just as good, and if it’s better, it’s better. In terms of preparation, I think we’re better.’