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Lewis Hamilton was audibly disappointed over the team radio at the end of the 2022 F1 Imola GP. The Briton had a disappointing race, finishing P13 after struggling to keep pace with those ahead of him.
The seven-time world champion's most recent outing at Imola was definitely one to forget after he barely managed to get out of Q1 in Friday's pre-sprint qualifying session. The Briton didn't have a much better time in the sprint race either, having finished in P14 - where he started (and nearly finished) on Sunday.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff expressed his sorrow for Lewis Hamilton over the team radio, saying:
“Hi Lewis, sorry for what you have had to drive today. I know this is undrivable. We will come out of this.”
The seven-time world champion initially responded with pure silence, but eventually replied with a reassuring message, saying:
“Yeah, no worries, Toto. Just keep on working hard.”
To add insult to injury, 2021 championship rival Max Verstappen lapped Lewis Hamilton towards the end of the race, demonstrating the sheer difference in pace between the two teams. The Mercedes driver was unable to get past Pierre Gasly, who kept him at bay numerous times while heading into the Tamburello Chicane at Turn 1.
Meanwhile, his 2022 teammate George Russell had an excellent race, bringing home good points for the team with a P4 finish. The Briton started the race in P11 and bounced to the front of the grid with an amazing start, proving the W13 still has a decent pace in the right conditions.
Lewis Hamilton says he is 100% committed to Mercedes
Despite the team's dismal start to the 2022 season, the Briton is still completely committed to the world championship-winning team and is confident that this dreadful situation for the team can be fixed.
Despite the lack of performance for the team this season, Lewis Hamilton revealed that he would not want to be anywhere else, saying:
“I am 100 per cent committed to this team and there is nowhere else I want to be. Just because we have hit a rough patch, it is not in my DNA to pack up. We are still world champions and we can fix this. It will be a painful year that we will have to ride out together.”
The driver has also claimed that 2022 is not the first time the team has been plagued with struggles, citing 2013 as a prime example. The Silver Arrows still managed to fight their way back to the top of the sport and remained there until 2022. Hamilton said:
“It wasn’t the greatest of years in 2013 but we’ve had great years since then. We stick together and try to motivate everyone. This is the situation that we are faced with but everyone has put their heads down, everyone’s working as hard as they can. We are obviously not fighting for the championship but we are fighting to improve the car and progress through the year. That’s all we can hope for right now.”
Only time will tell whether the most successful team in the turbo-hybrid era will be able to make an epic comeback in 2022. As it stands, the team is fighting to be the best of the rest.
