‘You’re wrong’ - Lewis Hamilton ignored by Mercedes in Drive to Survive revelation

Lewis Hamilton has revealed Mercedes engineers ignored his advice about the team’s 2022 F1 car problems. 

The latest season of Netflix’s Drive to Survive series has shed new light on the deterioration of the relationship between Hamilton and Mercedes in recent years amid their barren spell of competitiveness.

The seven-time world champion admits in the new series that he was frustrated that Mercedes dismissed his concerns about the development direction the team had taken with their 2022 car.

Mercedes’ W13 proved to be flawed and won just one race in 2022 - the first year of F1’s new aerodynamic regulations.

“Last year I remember complaining to the team and being like, look, we have to make these changes, otherwise this is the trajectory we’re going to go on and this is where we’re going to end up so please, please do something about it,” Hamilton tells programme makers in one episode of the sixth series, which will be released on Friday.

“I remember they said, like, we know what we’re doing, you’re wrong. And that was definitely an interesting moment.

“I was like, okay, I’ll step back, don’t want to step on anybody’s toes. Then when we got into the season, then we spoke again [they said] ‘oh, maybe you were right. So yeah…”

While the season was filmed before Hamilton’s bombshell announcement that he will be joining Ferrari in 2025, it highlights how his relationship with Mercedes became strained during a two-year winless streak.

“My goal is to get back on top and win a championship again. But then we get in the car in 2023 and it's the evil sister [of 2022],” Hamilton adds in episode six.

"I can't really remember winning, it's been like a minute to be honest.

“I don't remember what that feeling is. It is what it is, we've just got to take it on the chin and just acknowledge that we did not get it right, we took the wrong decision and start taking big strides in the right direction... before it's too late.”

During a post-race debrief at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix, the race in which Mercedes finally abandoned their controversial ‘zeropod’ concept, Hamilton is heard telling his team: “The weakest part of the car is the rear end.

“That wing is really a barn door, it's very very draggy. Last year was the same and the year before that was the same.”

Hamilton also talks about his decision to sign a contract renewal with Mercedes last summer.

“OK we've had two difficult years but I still have so much belief that Mercedes and all these people in this team have the ability to build a great car,” Hamilton said.

“You've just got to take a leap of faith. Toto [Wolff], he's listened. There never feels a time where I'm not going to be a Mercedes driver. It's my home, it's my family.”