Lewis Hamilton came to rue his pre-season comments in one of his last seasons at Mercedes (Image: Getty)
Lewis Hamilton appears to have taken lessons from his time with as he delivered his verdict on following pre-season testing. The seven-time champion wrapped up his first tests with the iconic Italian team this week, gearing up for the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix later this month.
At 40 years old, Hamilton exuded positivity in his first-ever stint with a new team since his 12-year tenure with the Silver Arrows came to an end. During his spell with , he was awash with success, amassing six championship titles; however, his last three seasons saw him go without either drivers’ or constructors’ title, as and stepped up their game. The sudden downturn of post-2010s took Hamilton by surprise, especially since he firmly believed they would retain their pole position in the sport despite significant rule changes in 2022.
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
“My team don’t make mistakes,” he insisted three years ago, a comment which came back to bite him. When queried over concerns about his team potentially losing their edge, Hamilton confidently responded (via ): “Why would I ever think that? We’ve won eight in a row.
“Why would I feel that way? My team don’t make mistakes. Of course, there is always a risk, but we don’t make mistakes. There’s a lot of very intelligent people back at the factory and I trust them 100%. Whatever we start with today, whether it’s good or bad, we’ll work through it. We’ve always had a great development plan and workforce.”
Hamilton would later regret his comments after struggled to resolve the porpoising issue, which caused their cars to bounce violently when driving at high speeds on straights. The problem arose from the 2022 season’s aerodynamic regulations, severely impacting Hamilton and , who finished sixth and fourth in the championship respectively.
The Brit has completed pre-season testing with Ferrari this week (Image: Getty)
Hamilton complained of nearly losing control of his car in high-speed corners, while Russell reported physical pain due to the intense bouncing. Following a lackluster three seasons with , yielding only two Grand Prix wins, Hamilton has the chance to hit the reset button now.
After completing testing, the Brit this time remained cautious, stating: “I’ve learned that you really can’t judge too much from the first outlook. I definitely think in past years, particularly in the previous generation of car, it was much easier to know where you stood quite early on.
“But I would say this is the most positive feeling that I’ve had in a long time.” Although he finished second on the timesheet on Thursday, his attempt at a full race simulation on Friday was hindered when detected an anomaly on the telemetry.