Lewis Hamilton: What went wrong in 2013?

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Lewis Hamilton was criticized for his switch to Mercedes from Mclaren for the 2013 season.

If the 2013 season would have to be summarized for Lewis Hamilton, could have been better is what seems to fit the bill. Rewind back to the beginning of 2013 and Hamilton was in for some criticism for his move from McLaren to Mercedes ending an association that dated back since the British driver was 13. McLaren had finished ahead of Mercedes in the Constructor’s since 2010 and the Woking team was arguably the fastest by the end of 2012. Mercedes on the other hand struggled to get going and the fledgling team had just one win in three seasons of existence. But Hamilton knew he was struggling to reach the ultimate target of winning the Driver’s Championship, having finished not higher than fourth with McLaren since his 2008 triumph.

The decision eventually proved to be a boon in disguise as McLaren slumped further in 2013 and Mercedes finished second in the Constructor’s tally. But it remained a gloomy story for the British driver as he failed to finish higher than fourth in a season that was remarkably dominated by Red-Bull and Sebastian Vettel.

The start to the season wasn’t a spectacular one for Hamilton as he got the hang of the new car and the team. In Malaysia he entered the McLaren pit box only to realize that he was driving for the Silver Arrows team, a couple of garages further down. Clearly he was emerging from a McLaren hangover. Two podium finishes in Malaysia and China were a boost to his confidence but despite his pace in qualifying, he had struggled to get going in the races, much of which could be attributed to the tyre-wear of the Mercedes and a constant struggle for grip.

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One of the high points for Lewis Hamilton in 2013 was a win in Hungary for Mercedes.

He was under pressure to perform as his teammate, Nico Rosberg, won in Monaco and the ill-stricken British GP,where Hamilton had started on pole only to have a puncture, loosing out on what could have been his first win with the Silver Arrows team. Not to mention the personal agony that he was going through after a split with his girlfriend as was reported in the media. But Hamilton overcame personal issues with a splendid win in Hungary, bringing him back into contention for the title. The tyre change seemed to have worked well for him and Mercedes. The Belgian GP result wasn’t a bad one either as he finished third.

But what followed till the end of the season was a definite slump in form and performance. While the qualifying results remained somewhat stable, the dip in race performance is what baffled Formula One pundits and Hamilton himself. He failed to make it to Q3 in Italy and eventually finished 9th with luck not going his way. In Japan he was taken out in the first corner as his right-rear tyre made contact with Sebastian Vettel’s front wing resulting in a puncture which eventually led to his retirement with a damaged floor. In India and Abu Dhabi too his Mercedes had faster tyre degradation as compared to Rosberg who finished on the podium in both the races. Austin was no different and Brazil wasn’t the best finish to the season with a ninth place.

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2013, despite tyre trouble and braking problems, remained a decent year for Hamilton but he would be hoping to up the ante in 2014.

An analysis of his performances during the year hints towards a couple of reasons that can be linked to the struggle. Foremost was his braking on certain circuits that took out his front tyres much faster compared to Rosberg and secondly Hamilton’s aggressive driving style as compared to his teammate which only aided a faster tyre degradation. In the larger scheme of things, Hamilton was better placed in the Mercedes than he would have been at McLaren in 2013 as he outperformed Rosberg, despite a higher number of wins for the German and a longer stint with the Brackley team.

Hamilton would be hoping to change gears in 2014 after what can be termed as a settling-in year for the British driver with his new team and out of the confines of McLaren. 2014 could be Hamilton’s year (amidst high expectations from his fans) though a lot would depend on the V6-turbo charged Mercedes.

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Edited by Staff Editor