Lewis Hamilton: « This is the worst start to a season of my career
Difficult start to the season for the seven-time world champion. Forced retirement due to an engine issue during the Australian GP. He is outperformed by his teammate George Russell in the first three races of his final season with Mercedes.
Third in the driver championship last year, it’s hard to imagine the same thing happening this year. Indeed, Lewis Hamilton is having a tough start to the season.
During the Australian Grand Prix, the British driver was eliminated as early as Q2. During the race on Sunday, he had to retire on the 17th lap due to an engine failure. Beyond the nightmarish weekend for Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, who will leave the German team at the end of the season to join Ferrari, is showing a worrying record.
A statistic speaks for itself. Lewis Hamilton has stepped on the podium in the first three races of the year, every season, from his debut in 2007 to now. An exception: 2009. He was disqualified after being accused of lying to the FIA investigators following a tangle during an overtake under a yellow flag, gaining a place. McLaren and Hamilton were then found guilty, and the Briton started the season with a blank score. A first in his career.
A memory resurfacing, Lewis Hamilton declares to Sky Sports microphone after the race that: « It’s the worst start to a season I’ve ever experienced. It’s worse than 2009, I think.
« It’s tough for the team’s morale after the work done this winter. You come in excited, motivated to drive with the mindset that you’re going to fight for victories, when that’s not the case », he tells the English media.
A victory that is long-awaited
Hamilton has not won a race since December 2021 and has only secured one pole position in two years.
The 39-year-old experienced driver must face a tough teammate in the person of George Russell who, despite his end-of-race accident on Sunday, managed to assert himself in terms of statistics. In qualifying, Russell is always in the top 10, while for Hamilton, his best placement is 8th. The same goes for race results. Russell finishes 5th and 7th in the first two races, while Hamilton finishes 7th and 9th.
Despite the frustration, he wants to stay focused because the season is far from over. “I try to keep things in perspective. It’s never great to end a race like this. I know we will bounce back, we have to keep attacking,” he explains after the race on the English microphone.
For the driver who is currently 10th in the standings, he confesses nevertheless that it is difficult for morale.
