Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver ‘definitely concerned’ about Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s pace ahead of 2024 F1 season
Lewis Hamilton went winless for a second consecutive season as he ended his 2023 Formula 1 campaign with ninth at the Abu Dhabi GP; Toto Wolff was more positive about Mercedes’ chances in 2024, with the new season starting at the end of February and every race will be live on Sky Sports
Last Updated: 26/11/23 5:21pm
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and George Russell reflect on their 2023 F1 season
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and George Russell reflect on their 2023 F1 season
Lewis Hamilton has admitted Red Bull’s pace at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is “definitely a concern” as Max Verstappen won a record-extending 19th race to finish the season.
Verstappen won by 17.9 seconds from Charles Leclerc on Sunday, with Mercedes’ George Russell another two seconds back in third.
Hamilton suffered minor front wing damage in the middle of the race when nudging the back of Pierre Gasly and battled to ninth place behind Fernando Alonso and Yuki Tsunoda.
The seven-time world champion finished third in the drivers’ standings but was 341 points behind Verstappen and went a second consecutive season without a win.
Mercedes beat Ferrari to second in the Constructors’ Championship by two points despite Hamilton’s disappointing race.
Asked by Sky Sports F1 if he could take any satisfaction from that, Hamilton said: “Not particularly.”
Sky F1’s Anthony Davidson analyses the incident between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Hamilton, who is statically the most successful driver in F1, also did not think think there was much he could learn from this year.
“It’s not been a great year in general. The fact I survived it. Probably that’s about it,” he said.
Hamilton: Mercedes understand what they need to do
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff praises George Russell on his ‘exceptional’ performance to secure second place in the constructors’ championship and expresses the hopes he has for next season
One highlight for Hamilton in 2023 was his pole position at the Hungarian Grand Prix but he’s rarely been able to fight for victories against Verstappen and Red Bull.
Mercedes abandoned their no sidepods concept after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and clearly made strides during the season as Hamilton picked up five podiums from Barcelona onwards in June.
But, Red Bull were still able to stay ahead and only lost one race, coming at the Singapore Grand Prix as Carlos Sainz took victory.
The best of the action from an eventful Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
“At this moment, I don’t really know [about next year]. For Red Bull to win by 17 seconds and they haven’t developed their car since August is definitely a concern,” said Hamilton.
“We have learned a lot about the car and it’s just down to the team now. They know what they need to do. Whether or not we will get there, we will see.”
Wolff: We are so motivated for next year
Fernando Alonso upsets Lewis Hamilton with his defence at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Mercedes failed to win a race in a season for the first time since 2011 and have seen rivals Red Bull win the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles for two years in a row.
Toto Wolff says his team are “so motivated and have “so much good things on the pipeline” but is also aware of their deficit to Red Bull going into next year.
“Let’s be honest they have a gap because they got well out of the blocks with the new regulations and in order to catch up, that’s a monumental endeavour… hopefully they level off with their development and speed and we can catch up,” said Wolff.
“Our [2023] car is a fundamental problem, it’s not stable, the drivers have no confidence in the car, if we can dial that out, we can make a step forward like other teams have done.”
Ted Kravitz brings the latest entertainment from Abu Dhabi as he attempts to do the floss and DJ!
Mercedes edge out Ferrari in battle for second
A small positive for Mercedes is they edged out Ferrari by two points in the battle for second in the Constructors’ Championship as Sergio Perez five-second penalty promoted Russell up to third in Abu Dhabi.
Charles Leclerc tried to help Perez by letting him through on the last lap, but Russell did enough by crossing the line 3.8 seconds behind the Mexican.
“It was a great end for the fight for P2. George’s driving was exceptional. I think Charles at the end was sportsmanlike behaviour, not trying to slow down. Two great teams, two great friends that fought to the end,” said Wolff.
Charles Leclerc attempted a last shot at beating Mercedes by handing over DRS to Sergio Perez to gain a five-second gap
“I was not stressed. I was stressed once in my life in F1 and that was here a couple of years ago.
“It was a fight for P2. In a way, super positive for us as a team and many employees a reward, but it also reminds you that it’s P2.
“At the end, we are racers. This day feels like you’ve won and that’s great. We’ve got to be happy about that but also as a racer you want more, but [on Sunday] we won.”
24 races in 2024! Watch every round of next season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix from February 29-March 2. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW
