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The 2023 F1 season was arguably not the most productive season for Lewis Hamilton. This was only the second time in his career that he did not win a race in a season. To add to this, the driver could not challenge for the title with Mercedes being too far behind Red Bull.
However, there were some interesting developments, with Hamilton signing an extension of his contract with Mercedes for another two years which means he will be part of the sport until the end of 2025.
In all of this though, after almost a decade of driving the fastest car on the grid, it does appear that the driver felt more adept this season in driving a less than fastest car on the grid and had a somewhat better season.
Having said that, how did he fare? What worked for him and what didn't? Let's take a look.
Hamilton's season: Statistics
In terms of championship standings and an overall season, Lewis Hamilton fared better than he did last season. He finished the season third in the championship with six podiums to his name and a brilliant pole position as well.
Here's the statistical snapshot of Hamilton's 2023 F1 season:
- Points: 234
- Poles: 1
- Podiums: 6
- Standings: 3rd
What worked?
If we look back at Lewis Hamilton's 2023 F1 season, one thing that stands out is his ability on the race day to attract the best possible result. The driver was always on the mark when it came to that and tended to extract the most from the car more often than not.
Mercedes did tend to be a bit of a diva this season as well as often the car would be out of its working window one day and then work perfectly fine the next day. Being able to extract the best possible result from the car and not make too many mistakes was what stood out for Hamilton.
While there were a few qualifying sessions where he found it hard to get a handle on what he could do with the car, the British driver just made sure that come race day he would get the best possible result out of the car and do it systematically.
If we compare Hamilton with his teammate, the one thing that stood out for him was the fact that he didn't make the unforced errors that George Russell did and that could be reflected in the difference in the points standings of the two Mercedes drivers.
What didn't?
Arguably the one area where Lewis Hamilton has himself admitted that he needs to work on is qualifying. He has not been in the best qualifying form for the last couple of years and it does appear that it is playing a role in his results as well.
Having an unpredictable Mercedes does contribute to this but what stands out more often than not is if we just compare Hamilton with his teammate George Russell.
While Hamilton streaked away in races and was quite clearly the better driver, one can't make such a comment about Qualifying. The two Mercedes drivers ended the season tied 11-11 in qualifying and there was nothing to choose between them.
What's next for Lewis Hamilton in 2024?
It will be very interesting to see if Lewis Hamilton is more than willing to play along if the Mercedes next year is once again not a car capable of fighting for the title. Will he be willing enough to continue to work on rebuilding the team? Could it push him over the ledge into an early retirement?
For Hamilton fans (and F1 fans in general), a competitive Mercedes might just be the best thing to happen for the 2024 season. If it doesn't, there is an interesting debate to be had about what the future holds for the seven-time champion.
