Lewis Hamilton ended the season with a ninth-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton cut a dejected figure after the season finale in Abu Dhabi and doubts whether Mercedes are capable of closing the gap to Red Bull next year given how far ahead Max Verstappen finished the last race of the campaign. Red Bull were already one step ahead after the change in regulations last year but took it to another level in 2023 to blow their rivals away.
Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin and McLaren had no answer for Red Bull’s dominance as Verstappen went on to win an unprecedented 19 races. Carlos Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to stand on top of the podium this year with Hamilton going another season without a race win.
His final race was the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021, where Mercedes was unable to seriously challenge Red Bull. After the Mexican Grand Prix, it appeared for a while that the Silver Arrows had turned the corner. However, they experienced heartbreaking losses in Brazil and Las Vegas, with George Russell’s performance in Abu Dhabi serving as the team’s lone bright spot.
When asked about his overall 2023 season after the race, Hamilton was not feeling very optimistic. Hamilton stated, “There’s not much to take away from the year overall.”
“That’s about it—the fact that I survived it.” When questioned about whether he believes Mercedes can catch up to Red Bull for the upcoming season, Hamilton looked just as dejected.
He continued, saying, “I’m not really sure right now. Given that Red Bull hasn’t improved their car since August, their final victory margin of 17 seconds raises serious concerns.
“We now know a lot more about the vehicle. Now, it’s all up to the team. They are aware of what must be done. We’ll see if we make it there or not.
When it came to Meredes’ chances of winning Red Bull the following year, Toto Wolff was more upbeat. “The two teams in Brackley and Brixworth are so motivated, we have so much good stuff in the pipeline, so much new stuff,” he remarked. “I mean, we have a gap to the leaders.”
“I am in a great position to observe how things are coming together. From this point on, we must gather speed and transfer it to the factories.”
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