Former F1 drivers turned pundits David Coulthard and Mark Webber agree on a ‘double Mercedes blow’ which impacted on seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton last season. Hamilton’s Mercedes car struggled to compete with rivals Red Bull and Ferrari early in the season and the British star only took one podium finish in the first eight races of 2022.
Hamilton and Mercedes turned their form around with the former world champion eventually taking nine podium finishes and placing behind team-mate George Russell at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Hamilton’s disappointment started in 2021 when he missed out on an eighth world title in controversial circumstances to Max Verstappen during the final race of the season.
Coulthard and Webber believe that 2021’s championship disappointment accompanied by a struggling Mercedes car combined for a disappointing season. “In my opinion, Lewis (Hamilton) has only found the energy along the way through the season and also the hunger for success,” said Coulthard talking to Motorsport.com.
“After Abu Dhabi last year, the winter break was short and Lewis’ (Hamilton) frustration prevailed. In addition, he has been at the front for a long time in his career and he got an extra tap when the car turned out not to be good enough for pole positions or victories at the beginning of this year.”
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Webber won eight F1 races during his career and finished third in the driver’s championship on three occasions. He agreed with Coulthard that Hamilton struggled to overcome his disappointment from last year.
“Lewis is of course one of the very best in our sport, but it was a tough winter for him to pick himself up again and come back,” added Webber. “There was a second blow after that when the car turned out to be uncompetitive. Despite the fact that he has a pretty positive attitude, that was still a moment of reflection.”
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