Lewis Hamilton was left feeling extremely dejected after he endured a Grand Prix to forget in Abu Dhabi.
Damon Hill has expressed his concern over Lewis Hamilton’s headspace following a dejected interview in the aftermath of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion could only finish ninth at the Yas Marina Circuit after suffering a Q2 elimination on Saturday.
Hamilton had already wrapped up third place in the Drivers’ Championship heading into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, but this will be of little consolation to the 38-year-old who still harbours hopes of fighting Max Verstappen again for his eighth title.
But even at the end of the season, Mercedes was still far behind Red Bull in terms of performance despite their tremendous development efforts. Hamilton was not happy with the balance from the beginning of the weekend as he battled to get his W14 into a consistent operating window.
When asked what he can learn from his unsatisfactory 2023 campaign after the race, Hamilton responded, “Not too much,” to Sky Sports F1. “In general, this year hasn’t been very good. The fact that I made it through. I think that’s the main thing.”
When asked if Mercedes could challenge Red Bull for the championship in 2024, he said, “I’m not really sure at this point.” It is concerning that Red Bull won by 17 seconds considering they haven’t improved their car since August.
We now know a great deal about the vehicle, so 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.”
Hill, the 1996 world champion, expressed concern after reading these remarks and was taken aback by the seven-time world champion’s lack of hope for Mercedes in the 2024 season. Along with teammate George Russell, Hamilton signed a new two-year contract with the team earlier this year.
After the chequered flag on Sunday, Hill said, “I mean Lewis is often like that after a race that has not delivered what he wanted.” “George had a challenging weekend, but he was able to achieve something. He will recover after that; it has been a difficult and lengthy year.
But what’s concerning is that he didn’t seem very enthusiastic when Rachel Brooks asked him about hope for the future. After giving it some thought, I believe they will return because they must have gained some insight from the previous two seasons.”
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