F1 TV expert commentator and former IndyCar driver James Hinchliff says Lewis Hamilton has been rewarded for his time spent experimenting with Mercedes’ setups over the past two seasons.
Mercedes struggled for performance when the new technical regulations came into effect in 2022 and only recently improved and returned to the fight for the top podiums before the current season’s summer break. The seven-time world champion has been known to undertake radical set-up changes over the past few years in an attempt to offer Mercedes a deeper understanding of the car.
The Briton was constantly looking for a different management of the car in contrast to his teammate in order to return to the positions he had in the period from 2014 to 2021.
Hamilton stated that at some stages driving the W15 car went from the best drive ever, to incredibly poor performance, which he had never experienced before in his career.
But the change happened after the Monaco Grand Prix where Mercedes raised the performance and Hamilton ended his winless streak from 2021, winning the British Grand Prix, and with the disqualification of Russell in Belgium, he achieved 2 wins in three races.
As a result of his hard work, F1 TV’s expert commentator believes that the seven-time champion is now achieving the results he has worked for.
“After two winless seasons (the first of his F1 career), Hamilton secured two wins in the first half of the year, second only to Verstappen,” Hinchliffe told the official Formula 1 website.
“And while teammate George Russell leads the qualifying head-to-head eight-to-six, his average starting position is actually a couple of places higher.”
“As the team begins to grasp the tricky W15, Hamilton is being rewarded for his years of trying out unorthodox setups and guiding the team’s development direction. He finally has a car that allows him to remind the world why he is one of the best ever to drive in Formula 1.”
The current season is Hamilton’s final one at Mercedes because after that he will go to Ferrari, where his teammate will be Charles Leclerc in a multi-year contract.
Hinchcliffe praised Hamilton for maintaining his motivation to perform despite moving to the Italian team. But he notes that the Brit wants to finish at Mercedes at the highest possible level.
“The seven-time champion entered this season in unusual circumstances, having already announced his departure to Ferrari at the end of this year,” he added.
“It would be almost understandable if his motivation waned a bit and he was counting down the days until his tenure at Mercedes ended.”
“But that’s not the way Hamilton works and not the way he wants to conclude the most successful team/driver tandem in Formula 1 history.”
