“I don’t like driving not great cars” - Lewis Hamilton opens up about his struggles with W14 and how he loves the ‘challenge’

Lewis Hamilton has once again voiced his discomfort with the Mercedes W14 car, though he stated that he loved the challenge of trying to tackle it.

High expectations from Mercedes heading into the 2023 season were quickly cooled when they looked to have the third-fastest car on the grid, behind Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin. However, the team bounced back in Australia, with Hamilton registering his first podium of the year, finishing second behind Max Verstappen.

While Hamilton still hopes to win a record-breaking eighth F1 title, it currently looks like a distant possibility as the Mercedes driver hasn’t won a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Speaking to Fox Sports about his struggles with the W14 and his F1 title hopes, Hamilton said (via crash.net):

“I don’t like driving not great cars. I don’t like driving a car that’s not the car that we weren’t meant to have but I love that challenge of ‘OK, what can I do with it? Wins are not possible right so what is the maximum we can get? Can we be a little cheeky and if fifth is the best we can get, can we get a fourth or a third?’

"Just make sure we are consistent and fit and ready so when the car does all of a sudden switch on and it is the car you dreamed of having, you’re ready.”

He added:

“I am ready to win a world championship. I have prepared the best way I can this year - the best I have ever prepared - and if the car comes correct tomorrow I will be ready to fight for the world championship but unfortunately that's not the case. I am working with everyone here and back at the factory to get there.”

Hamilton is currently fourth in the drivers' standings, with Mercedes third in the constructors' standings.

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Lewis Hamilton worried new F1 regulations haven’t delivered everything that it said

Lewis Hamilton has said stated that the regulations introduced to Formula 1 at the start of the 2022 season have failed to deliver as promised.

The new rules, which were initially planned for the 2021 season before getting pushed back by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were introduced to bring back the excitement in the sport by allowing cars better chances to overtake, among other things. The various changes included a ground-effect floor, bigger tires, a simplified front wing, and a sharp new rear wing.

Hamilton, however, believes that the current regulations haven’t delivered as anticipated. He said (via motorsportweek):

“Nope, it is [the dirty air ensuing from the 2023 cars] the same as the past. I think last year for us was pretty bad with the bouncing, because you’ve got the turbulence and the bouncing, whereas this year we don’t have the bouncing, so we have less issues following cars.”

He added:

“I think it’s still a little bit better than the previous generation of cars. But hasn’t delivered everything that it said it would, so got some improvements to make hopefully for the future.”