2022 was almost good for the world; the pandemic ended well, people overcame the pain, Max Verstappen became a back-to-back world champion, Red bull became a constructor’s champion after eight years, Lionel Messi won before retiring, Aaron Judge got back to New York Yankees, and so many other good things happened in the sports world. But there is always a sad story for the one who lost! The losing teams, the same as Mercedes, had a very bad season this year. The Silver Arrows could only claim a single win, with George Russell’s maiden victory. Lewis Hamilton remained winless and poleless. For the first time in their career, Mercedes had to face porpoising issues.
Red Bull won 17 Grand Prix out of the 22 races in the 2022 F1 season. Ferrari, on the other hand, won 4 races, but Mercedes won just one race. The team was never in title contention from the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, the new regulations launched in 2022 by FIA did not prove to be in favor of the seven-time world champion. The Brackey-based team tried hard but could not make a strong W13 after the end of the turbo hybrid era.
W13 was bouncy and draggy enough to cause a premature ending of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for Lewis Hamilton. The Yas Marina Circuit at Abu Dhabi was the only hope for the seven-time world champion and was the only hope for him to maintain the streak of winning that he has been maintaining for 15 years. But due to hydraulic issues, W13 gave up in the closing laps as a result of Carlos Sainz’s little crash. Hamilton had to take the pit lane before the race even finished.
“The Year Took Struggles, Did Not Pass In Just A Blip For Mercedes”- Wolff
When Red Bull and Ferrari were competing and bringing updates in order to win the championship, Mercedes were figuring out the car’s problem in order to survive. It took 18 races for the team finally launch the aerodynamics upgrade that worked in favor of the drivers. As Mercedes launched its final upgrade of the season after so much analysis, Lewis Hamilton finally got the chance to be nearest to Max Verstappen. He stood second in the United States Grand Prix. Again in Mexico, Lewis Hamilton got second on the podium. And in Brazil, Lewis Hamilton again got P2, but his teammate George Russel, broke the duck of Mercedes’s winless season with the taste of first every formula one win.
After the disastrous season ended, Mercedes Principal Toto Wolff gave a sad little review. he said, “It was a tough season.” He admitted that right from the beginning, the car was not responding the way we expected. The year was not about one race. It was one of the many that the team lost. However, better late than never, the Silver Arrows got on top and had a setback, and this helped them understand the main problem of the car.
Toto Wolff stated, “The season was so painful because nothing was just a blip.” The year took away Lewis Hamilton’s legacy. His contract with Mercedes will end in 2023. But despite leaving the team, Lewis wants to be with them and work together as a team until they win. Hamilton has confirmed that he will sign another contract with Mercedes, and 2023 will not be his last season of Formula one.