Lewis Hamilton admits he doubted his Formula 1 future and isn’t holding his breath for 2024
Lewis Hamilton has admitted that two winless Formula 1 seasons have left him doubting his ability.
The seven-time world champion is currently on the worst run of his career, without a victory in 2023 or 2022, having previously kept his win streak alive for 15 years.
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His last race victory came during the epic title bout with Max Verstappen in 2021, but since new aerodynamic regulations were brought in for 2022 and beyond, his Mercedes team has completely fumbled them.
That left the Brit doubting whether he can still find his best form, and eclipse Michael Schumcher with the most titles in the sport’s history.
"Ultimately, when you have difficult seasons like this, there are always going to be moments when you're like: 'Is it me, or is it the car? Do you still have it? Has it gone?'” he told the BBC.
"Because you're missing that, you know… when the magic happens, when everything comes together, the car and you, and that spark, it's extraordinary. And that's what you're in the search for.
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"You're being scrutinised all the time and I'm in a place in my life where there's no way I can win.
"If I win a race, it's: 'Oh, he's a seven-time world champion, you got 103 wins.' If I don't do well, it's [criticism]… I can only lose at this point in life. So for sure there was a period of time when I was questioning whether I wanted to go through that."
Hamilton’s thoughts began to creep in during 2022, his first winless season, and things didn’t get any better this year when it became clear the Silver Arrows had continued down the same development path which had already failed them.
The 38-year-old was well aware it was the wrong call, something he made clear to the team.
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He explained: "In February, when we do a download of where the car is going, I was a little more apprehensive, because the previous year it was like: 'The car is amazing, it's unique, no-one's going to have anything like it.' And then we get to the first test…
"So, I was a little bit more cautious when I was listening, and I was like: 'We will see.' And then the car had all these problems. I just knew it was going to be a long year."
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"I'm sure there were frustrations, because I had asked for certain changes, and they weren't done."
“[We had] big, big talks. No one knew exactly what the problem was. No one knew how to fix it.”
Despite another difficult year, which ended without a victory, Hamilton still finished a hugely impressive third in the drivers’ standings, recording six podium finishes.
Feeling more optimistic for 2024, he explained why he signed a contract extension with Mercedes mid-season.
"I do believe we have a North Star now," he said. "Which I don't think we've had for two years. But still getting there is not a straight line.
"We had a lot of aero on that first car last year. We had to basically knock a ton of downforce off it and then slowly try to add. But every time we tried to add, it was worse. So we just didn't improve for a long, long, long time.
"I think we understand the car so much better. They have developed great tools in the background. So, naturally, I'm hopeful. But I'm not going to hold my breath."