“They did a great job”: Lewis Hamilton ‘really happy’ with P2 finish in WCC despite a difficult outing at Abu Dhabi GP

Lewis Hamilton is glad that his team secured second place in the constructors’ championship after a difficult 2023 F1 season. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, after the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP, the Briton seemed unhappy with his own performance and that of Mercedes W14.

After speaking to the media, post qualifying, the former champion seemed to have some optimism about turning around the performance in the race. However, he was only able to manage a ninth place, despite his teammate George Russell clinching a podium finish.

His disappointment was reflected in his one-worded answers and one-line replies to the media after the race. Asked by Sportskeeda about the team result, Lewis Hamilton said:

“Yeah really happy for the team. Great reliability and they did a great job.”

About his frustrations during the race when his boss Toto Wolff came on the radio, he said:

“Yep. Wasn’t that great.”

Asked if the race was a summary of how the car has been all year, Hamilton replied:

“No, it's just, I mean it's. Not a summary of it, it was just slow throughout the race.”

Asked if there was any optimism following the Austin race in terms of car performance, he said:

“This car was same as last year here for me.”

About his brake testing moment with Fernando Alonso, he clarified:

“Well, we are flat out at 300 or 400 meters before the corner and I just was doing a 180 miles per hour and the guy ahead just slowed down ahead of me. Yeah.”

Clearly, the seven-time champion wasn't in a very talkative mood. The Briton’s media session barely lasted 1 minute and 48 seconds, reflecting his disappointment in not being able to beat his teammate or be on par with him.

Hamilton felt the car was the same in performance as it was in 2022 at the Yas Marina circuit, when he was retired from the race after an engine failure.

Sparring on track with his old rival and former teammate Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton was heard accusing the double world champion of brake testing him.

The Spaniard told the media, including Sportskeeda, that they were just DRS games drivers play on track. However, the Briton felt that he was being deliberately slowed down. The duo was also investigated for ‘driving erratically’ by the stewards, and let off with a warning.

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Lewis Hamilton doubts Mercedes will produce a championship-winning car in 2024

The former champion believes it is difficult to be optimistic about the development of their car for the 2024 season. He refrained from predicting any positive developments happening in the background or giving out any spoilers for their next car.

The Briton believes that Red Bull’s dominance in 2023, without much work on their car, itself is a sign of the confidence and solid platform that they will work with for their 2024 car.

Asked how hopeful he is for the 2024 season, Lewis Hamilton said:

“I really don't know.”

Asked if he was happy with his result and maybe optimistic for the following year, he added:

“Not great. I mean I just finished ninth with two really bad races. Red Bull won by 17 seconds and they’ve not touched the car since August or July, so you can pretty much guess where they are going to be next year.”

The Briton returned to his top five spot in the driver rankings and has finished only twice outside the top 5 of the championship in his entire career.

With only a year left in his contract with Mercedes, which ends at the end of 2024, his performance and the car he is provided will be a huge factor in deciding his future with the team.