JANUARY 12, 2024
Top Ten of 2023 - Third - Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
© Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
By Luis Vasconcelos
Lewis Hamilton quickly silenced the critics that gave him as good as finished in 2022, when he sacrificed the first half of the season trying to find radical set-up solutions that would unlock the potential Mercedes believed was hiding in the W13 – but there was none. After a false start, the German team radically changed this year’s W14 and with a car that was predictable, if not too quick against Red Bull, the seven times World Champion displayed his tremendous talent and quickly put Russell’s challenge behind. Quick, consistent, relentless, Hamilton was the only one who took the fight to Pérez up to the final races of the race before bowing to the inevitable and the frustration showed in a couple of unnecessary incidents that were quite atypical for him.
The first corner incident with Russell in Qatar marked the beginning of the end of his challenge for second in the championship, but seven podiums with a car that was not a race winner showed Hamilton’s speed is still intact and that he’ll be ready to pounce again if and when Mercedes hands him a winning car.