Driving the Mercedes W13 is “not a chore”

“I don’t think it will fit very well in the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart. Maybe it will go in the basement.” As evidenced by the words of Toto Wolff, the Mercedes W13 will not leave an imperishable memory for the brand with the star at the end of the 2022 season. After the eight constructors’ world titles won from 2014 to 2021, the new Arrow Argent still hasn’t won a single victory in 2022 and is likely to end the year this way, although the chronic porpoising she suffers from has been significantly reduced over the months.

Lewis Hamilton, he is clear about this season to end: “I don’t see it as a chore.” The seven-time World Champion relishes the challenge of harnessing the W13’s maximum potential.

“I sincerely love the work we do”he declares. “Whether we’re fighting for first place or something else, I love conferring with the engineers and mechanics every weekend – I love these back-to-back Grands Prix because you can bounce back quickly after a weekend. rotten end like the one [de Spa-Francorchamps].”

“Every day I continue to love the challenge of struggling with this car because getting in it is a struggle! Trying to master it takes a hell of a lot of engineering, it’s tricky and I would say it can allow me to progress in this area. I take pleasure in it and I never want time to pass more quickly, I don’t want this season to pass more quickly: there will be a lot of information to obtain in the second half of the season. As a driver, I want to understand how I can improve and ensure that things like what happened in the last race don’t happen again.”

Hamilton is fully aware of the importance of the work being carried out at the moment for the 2023 season, when regulatory stability is now in order. “My priority here is really trying to articulate precisely what I feel in the car, what I want for next year’s car, and making sure that gets done.”continues the Englishman. “Because everything changes very quickly. They already have to validate the brakes or the front suspension, as well as the gearbox. Everything is done so far in advance that you have to make sure to talk to them about it before they do. validate these things.”

The context of the budget ceiling and the aero handicap mean that Mercedes does not have an easy task of raising the bar, but Hamilton still believes in it. “We’ve won the last eight constructors’ titles, I fully trust my team and my engineers to get us there. With the budget cap, the time in the wind tunnel and all that, it’s not that simple and easy. than before, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make it.”he concludes.

Interview by Alex Kalinauckas