Lewis Hamilton—arguably the greatest Formula 1 driver in history and undoubtedly the most successful in terms of statistics. 17 seasons in the sport, 7 World Championships, 103 race victories, 103 pole positions, and 195 podium finishes. But as much as these numbers and statistics hold significance to us viewers, they’re not as important to the seven-time champion. Although, after spending eight years at the front of the grid—from 2014 to 2021, Hamilton finds himself on a slippery slope of form as Mercedes has not been able to build a car capable of leading the field after the 2022 regulation changes.

And considering it’s been Red Bull leading the pack for the past couple of seasons, the last time Lewis Hamilton won a race was at the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP. In an interview discussing his achievements and Mercedes’ underwhelming form these past two seasons, as quoted by oasport.it, Hamilton said, “Honestly, these data don’t interest me. I’ve had a few podiums, I don’t know if I’ll be able to win a race, but, really, I have something else on my mind.”

Lewis Hamilton adds pressure on Toto Wolff and Mercedes to finish second in the championship

While winning every race possible was what used to be on Lewis’ mind when he was at the front, it’s no longer what he’s focusing on. He added, “My dream is not to have more ups and downs, but to have an efficient car with a lot of downforce so that I can keep up with the others.” After where he and Mercedes were in 2021, the 2022 season was very tough for them. Although they made progress throughout the season, it all went back to square one in 2023, and they started on the back foot once again. The Brackley team is currently P2 in the championship but is facing pressure from Aston Martin, Ferrari, and now, McLaren. 

In F1, the Constructors’ Championship is of great significance because the finishing order is what decides how much prize money every team gets at the end of the season—money teams then use to develop their cars for the next season. From a prize pool of $1.2 billion, the winners get close to $170 million. And the prize money progressively gets lesser down the order. The difference between P2 ($157.2 million) and P3 ($146.4 million) is close to $11 million, and that’s what hangs in the balance for Mercedes. Considering how non-competitive its car has been in the past two seasons, the team needs all the money it can get to improve, which is why Hamilton is urging Toto Wolff & Co. to gear up for the rest of the season for finishing P2 in the championship.

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After having to revamp its car this season and bring upgrades to close the gap to Red Bull, Lewis has seen positive signs. He explained, “We have made great progress in recent weeks, but it is not easy to predict where it will take us. For me, it is much more important what information I can give to the team so that we are better positioned in the future. We have to aim to be competitive from the first test in 2024.”

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Mercedes has already started working on its 2024 challenger. While Hamilton’s data is vital to the team’s 2023 and 2024 development, it’s not the only source the Brackley team is relying on. It’s using other teams’ progress to make itself better.

Lewis Hamilton & Co. are taking inspiration from McLaren

McLaren, like Mercedes, started its season on the back foot. The only difference was that the Woking outfit was further back in the field. But over the past two race weekends—owing to its upgrades—McLaren took a significant step that allowed it to jump right into the mix behind Red Bull. And Mercedes is looking to use McLaren’s upgrades as inspiration to do the same. Mercedes Technical Director James Allison says, “We take a lot of photos [of other cars] and try to understand what changes from race to race. The interesting and unusual aspect of the McLaren update is that the effect on lap times has been quite strong.”

While Mercedes’ 2024 challenger is starting to become its primary focus, Allison explained, as quoted by as.com, “There are improvements we’d like to make to our current car that we know will apply to the 2024 car as well. We don’t have the feeling of wasting money. The feeling is that with these updates, we are investing in both seasons.”

Can Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes return to the front in 2024?

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