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Lewis Hamilton's lesson from the winter break after the 2021 F1 season was that 'winning is not everything'.
The Briton was on the cusp of an unprecedented eighth-world title before losing out to Max Verstappen under controversial circumstances. The defeat was followed by disillusionment and an extended period of reclusivity and radio silence on Lewis Hamilton's part. The seven-time world champion eventually returned to public life in February.
Having had time to reflect and collect his thoughts, Hamilton shared insight into his mentality after nearly three decades of racing experience at the 2020 Dubai Expo. The Mercedes driver said:
“I think for me, my whole life has been about winning. I have been racing for 29 years, so I think having that mentality of always knowing you can be better... but I think during this time, realising that winning is not everything. Sometimes, when you lose, you actually win and grow. My advice for people is: Don’t be afraid of failure because you will always meet failure on the way to success. I will come back to fight for that eighth [world championship], that is what I do.”
For the first time since 2016, Hamilton is not going into the season opener at the 2022 F1 Bahrain Grand Prix as the defending world champion.
Lewis Hamilton feels Mercedes might not be competing for wins in 2022 F1 season
Lewis Hamilton has cast a cloud of doubt on his ability to mount a title challenge this season after claiming Mercedes might not be able to compete for wins in 2022.
During an interview with Sky Sports F1 on Day 3 of pre-season testing in Bahrain, the Briton said:
“It is too early to have those kind of thoughts about the world championship, but at the moment I don’t think we will be competing for wins. There is potential within our car to get us there. We’ve just got to learn to be able to extract it and fix some of the problems, which is what we’re working on.”
AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly was also of a similar opinion after claiming to see Hamilton struggling on track at the Sakhir Circuit.
