‘My hunger never shifted’ - Hamilton “super-focused” on getting back to winning

Remarkably, Hamilton hasn’t won in F1 since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, over 18 months ago.

The seven-time world champion has enjoyed a strong start to F1 2023 despite Mercedes’ underwhelming form, scoring two second-places in the opening seven races.

Mercedes’ recent upgrade appears to have taken them a step forward, with the team picking up their first double-podium of the season in Barcelona.

Speaking after the race on Sunday, Hamilton was asked about his “hunger” and how motivated he is in F1.

“I think my hunger has never really shifted, I would say,” Hamilton explained. “No, don't feel like that's… I think I'm in a really great place in my life and I think I'm really happy where I am in my life and I think I've got all the ducks in a row, like where I'm able to really focus. 

“Got a great, great, great team around me both off track and on track. There's great stuff that's happening with Mission 44 that's got a great team in London, working on that. 

“And we're starting to see impact. I've got a great team of engineers here that… been with Bono for a long, long time and feel like Bono’s really doing… what Bono and Mike and all the guys are doing is such a such a fantastic job. And I think for me, I feel fit and healthy and I think that was a very solid, very solid race for me.

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“And I think, yeah, I want to keep going for as long as I can. But I want to be where he is [indicating Max]. And or racing him at least. So that's super, super-focused on getting to that point and yeah, a long way to go. But there’s time.”