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Lewis Hamilton was underwhelmed by the performance of the Mercedes W13 and was glad he wasn't fighting for the championship. Speaking ahead of the 2022 Dutch GP in Zandvoort, Hamilton expressed his frustration at driving the underwhelming car but believes that it's his job to motivate the team despite the poor performance.
Speaking to on-site media, including Sportskeeda, Hamilton said:
“It hurts, believe me, it hurts. But you’ve got to laugh it off and say 'I'm not fighting for a championship’. I have a responsibility to keep morale high. We’ve got to keep pushing and not be discouraged. Yes, it sucks, and the car is slow.”
Despite the struggles of the underperforming Mercedes W13, Lewis Hamilton believes he has a duty to keep the team motivated and maintain their morale. The Briton admitted that it was painful not to be at the front but was glad he wasn't fighting for the championship with the underwhelming tools at hand. The seven-time world champion's statements are understandable because fifth is the lowest he has finished in the driver's championship (with McLaren in 2009).
Lewis Hamilton is unimpressed with the performance of the Mercedes W13
Reluctant to term the performance of the Mercedes W13 a disappointment, Lewis Hamilton hoped the team would be able to bring in upgrades that solved the car's issues. However, the Briton was unimpressed with the car. Toto Wolff has also admitted that Mercedes has been struggling with the direction to follow when developing their new 2023 car.
Unimpressed with the progress of their car, Hamilton said:
“I don't want to use the word 'disappointment' because you have to remember that there are 2000 people back at the factory who are working so hard to get it right. Of course, I wish that we got it right, and had upgrades to push us forward. I wish we were fighting at the front, but that isn’t the way it is.”
Lewis Hamilton brought up the personnel working relentlessly on the car at the factory and emphasized that he did not want to undermine or understate their efforts. However, he will have to work with the current performance of the car, which is unlikely to improve in the upcoming races.
