‘Biding my time’ - Hamilton’s wait for quicker Mercedes F1 car

The seven-time world champion is enduring a winless drought stretching back to the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the race before he controversially lost out on that year’s world championship to Max Verstappen. 

Verstappen went on to easily claim a second world title in 2022, and his dominance has continued into 2023, with the Dutchman winning 10 of the 12 races so far this year as he charges towards his third world championship. 

Hamilton, meanwhile, has been unable to mount a challenge to his great rival amid a year and a half of Mercedes’ competitive struggles. 

The 38-year-old explained that his constant drive for improvement is keeping him motivated until the time he has a more competitive car at his disposal. 

“I don’t think it’s particularly difficult, because there are always areas you can improve,” Hamilton said when asked where he finds his drive from. 

“We’re fine-tuning how we work in the background, we’re constantly trying to improve our processes. We’re continuously making adjustments. 

“It’s improving communication in the background, making sure the head of department are getting the real information through. 

“And deep-diving onto certain subjects, whether it’s bouncing, whether it’s car characteristics, through-corner balance, all these sorts of things. 

“I’ve had more time to be able to focus on that with the team than ever before. And generally be even more hands on the direction that we’re going with the car next year. 

“And just making sure that, when I step away, just making sure that I’m mentally in the right place for when the car is right. So holding on to that. 

“Fortunately I’ve got these other things that keep me motivated as well, which tap into the whole ecosystem, like the movie for example. So yeah, I’m just biding my time.”