For once, Mercedes had a season they would like to forget. Lewis Hamilton, for the very first time in his career, had a winless season. Mercedes won just one race, that too, through their junior driver George Russell. The Mercedes duo recently sat down to have a look at iconic moments from the season, but Lewis didn’t recognize most of them. The one he did was sadly the one with him in immense pain after the race in Baku.

F1 introduced a series of changes for the 2022 season, which saw even the best struggle to adapt to. Mercedes, right from the beginning, faced the issue of the car bouncing up and down against the track, the effect popularly known as porpoising. The issue was a lot more prominent in Azerbaijan owing to the track being a lot bumpier than others.

Lewis Hamilton reflects on the back pain he suffered in Azerbaijan

Lewis Hamilton struggled to step out of the car at the end of the Azerbaijan GP. As he emerged from the car, he held his back and looked to be in severe pain. Despite the situation, Hamilton kept his composure and finished P4, taking the Driver of the Day. Such was the severity of the situation that Mercedes feared the 7-time world champion might not recover in time for the next race in Canada.

Reflecting recently on the moment in Baku with his teammate George Russell, Hamilton revealed, “I don’t actually remember a lot of these photos. The one I remember is this one (him holding his back). This one is the one I remember the most just because of the pain I was in. That weekend I went lower than you (George Russell) on the rear. Ride height was much lower. It was much worse on my car. But painful for both of us I think.”

Read More: The Chilling Reason Behind Lewis Hamilton’s Cold Seat Claims at Azerbaijan GP

Fans had mixed reactions to seeing him in pain- ranging from sympathy to hilarious takes.

One fan lauded Lewis’ resilience to finish P4 despite being in severe pain.

Another fan expressed how proud they were of their favorite driver and thought he deserved the Driver of the Day.

One user asked Lewis for his advice on how to handle back issues.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner thought Lewis was faking the pain. The comment did not go down well with a Lewis fan.

Going through some extensive physiotherapy and acupuncture procedures, the Briton was able to recover in time and went on to take the podium. He later took to Instagram to thank his physio, Angela Cullen.

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Do you think Mercedes will bounce back next season (pun unintended)?