Lewis Hamilton had quite a long phase of underperformance after missing out on his eighth championship win against Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi last year. This did not yet, because things got worse at the start of 2022. The new W13 designed under new aerodynamic regulations troubled the german outfit with the porpoising issue. The reigning constructors’ championship struggled through the first ten races of the season to fix the porpoising issue and find some performance to compete with the frontrunners.
And because of that, Lewis kept struggling with just one podium during the opening race in Bahrain. His rookie teammate George Russell seemed to be handling the troubled W13 better than the seven-time world champ. Russell finished ahead of Hamilton in seven GPs after Bahrain. However, while Mercedes looked to have a good hang of the porpoising, Hamilton has shown some consistency during races. The Briton has secured three podiums during the last three races in Canada, Silverstone, and Austria. The 37-year-old competed with Red Bull and Ferrari for a possible win in Silverstone. However, a late safety car gave the advantage back to his rivals as he finished third in his home race.
Although Lewis and Mercedes showed some surprisingly fast pace as the Briton looked to be in contention for the pole. However, a crash during Q3 limited Hamilton to a ninth-place start during the sprint. He eventually secured his fourth podium of the season at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday.
Russell Praises Hamilton’s Recent Performances
Recently, George Russell gave an overview of Hamilton’s progress through a tough season for the Silver Arrows. The Briton said that every driver wants to finish ahead of everyone, including their own teammates. He understood how challenging it was to go up against Lewis Hamilton. George pointed out that he had first-hand experience of his teammate’s greatness.
Further, the 24-year-old explained that an athlete needs to get into a groove, find some rhythm, and get some luck going in any sport. George said that he had a good run during the eight-nine races staying ahead of Hamilton. However, the last two outings were a little tricky for him. Russell added, “But we have seen in those last couple of races just how fast Lewis is.”
It looks like things finally seem to be going right for the Silver Arrows. However, George insisted that Mercedes should not get carried away from their performance in Silverstone. Silverstone was a unique circuit in terms of speed going through the corners. Russell concluded that the W13 had a lot of downforce and potential on a high-speed circuit like Silverstone. Hopefully, the Silver Arrows will be able to steal their first win soon from the frontrunners, Red Bull and Ferrari.