Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes Formula 1 driver, claims the team felt it had a “ghost” in its W13. The feeling emerged after endless setbacks the team struggled with after making progress on issues.
Early in the season, the German squad struggled with porpoising problems. The team remained unable to find a promising performance after solving porpoising issue.
The major update provided encouraging results at Spain, Silverstone and Hungary. However, disappointment followed until later in the season when team was finally able to find the stability and pace at US GP.
On Thursday, Hamilton reflected on the rollercoaster ride of 2022 season. He claims it felt that something supernatural had happened to the car.
“The first big step was Barcelona, that was our first hint of there being more potential in the car,” he said.
“It turned out to be a bit of a false positive; the car was good there but then the races afterwards were difficult. It was like a ghost was in the car and it kept coming back.
“But then there was France and that felt like a good step with our first double podium of the season. And then there was Austin, too, with the update we had working well.”
Hamilton called for appreciation for the team which kept itself focused despite multiple disappointments.
“I always knew that we could do it,” he said. “I never doubted that we would get there in the end, but there was lots of trial and error, and so much failure this year.
“There were times we brought upgrades and they didn’t work, and times we tried different things and it didn’t work. I tried so many things and failed so many times but through that you learn and grow.
“That’s what it’s been about this year. It’s been about failure, breaking down egos, strengthening our relationships, and strengthening our communications. From that perspective it’s been really empowering.”
This was the first season when Hamilton had to finish a season without winning a single race. However, he trusts that there is always something positive to take.
“It’s been a very hard year for everyone,” he said.
“For me, it’s been challenging in ways that I wasn’t expecting, but I am incredibly grateful for that. I have felt more growth this year as a man, in terms of internal strength, than I have in many other years.”
