Hamilton: I’m the freshest I’ve ever felt ahead of new F1 season
Lewis Hamilton says he is the freshest he has ever felt ahead of a new Formula 1 season after switching his mind off from the series over the winter.
Hamilton took a break from any public appearances or duties over the winter after his controversial F1 title defeat to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi.
The Mercedes driver was left disillusioned by F1 due to the fashion of his loss after former race director Michael Masi failed to implement two articles of the sporting regulations.
But Hamilton said he never seriously considered quitting, and made his on-track return last month with the team’s new W13 car in pre-season testing.
At 37, Hamilton is nearing the end of his F1 career, but has consistently said he feels he is at the top of his game as he goes in search of a record-breaking eighth world championship.
Looking ahead to the new season, Hamilton explained how he naturally gave thought to his future during his break and time away from F1, but saw no reason to walk away while he felt at the peak of his powers, and that the reset over the winter had benefitted him.
“Naturally, I think at the end of any season, probably for those that are around my age, of course you’re thinking about the future,” Hamilton said.
“You’re thinking about what are the next steps, what are the right steps for you to take, what’s right for you in terms of overall happiness? So I always evaluate all my options.
“But I did make a commitment to the team early on in the season, and ultimately I love what I do. I love being a part of the team. I love working with, and I’ve said it so many times, everyone towards a common goal.
“I feel I’m at my best. So why do I need to leave? There are so many different ways you can refocus and be recentered, and I would say this [winter] is one of the best that I’ve experienced.
“So I feel the freshest today that I feel I ever have.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W13
Photo by: Alessio Morgese
Hamilton was absent from all social media in the wake of his title defeat in Abu Dhabi until a few days before Mercedes’ car unveil in the middle of February.
The seven-time world champion admitted that F1 was “definitely the last thing I really wanted to talk to anyone about” during the break as he prioritised spending time with his family.
“Of course I speak to my dad about those things, because it’s something we started together, but we didn’t touch on it,” Hamilton said.
“It was generally more about being present, living in the moment, creating memories. I know sometimes in life we get so focused, and stuck into certain things like work that we forget to do those things.
“It was a great time just refreshing, remembering. It was the best period of time I’ve ever had with my family.”
After running on all three days of the opening test in Barcelona at the end of last month, Hamilton will return to the cockpit of the Mercedes W13 next week when the second test begins in Bahrain on 10 March.
PLUS: The state of the early 2022 F1 pecking order as Barcelona testing ends
The three-day test will then be followed by the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on 20 March.
Related video
F1 teams have "little freedom" outside windtunnel for porpoising fixes
Haas F1 team splits with Mazepin, Uralkali after Ukraine invasion
Porsche boss “as surprised as anyone” over Gulf-Williams F1 social media frenzy
Porsche’s head of motorsport Thomas Laudenbach found it “funny” that streamlining its Instagram channels caused a Formula 1 social media speculation frenzy last month.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
Why Alfa Romeo has kept its blade roll hoop on 2023 F1 car
The Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team has retained its unique blade roll hoop for the C43 but designed it to withstand load tests that the FIA will introduce in 2024.
Daly to attempt 2023 Daytona 500 with The Money Team
IndyCar driver Conor Daly has announced plans to enter the 2023 Daytona 500 with The Money Team, making his superspeedway debut in NASCAR Cup.
Why Albon won't be "throwing around laptops" to gain a 2023 F1 edge
OPINION: At the Williams 2023 Formula 1 season launch, Alex Albon’s easy-going nature was again a point of focus. But does being “too nice” really matter in modern F1? Albon’s own expressions put that in an intriguing new light
How the last Sauber-built Alfa offers F1 2023 evolution clues
Alfa Romeo has become the first Formula 1 team to reveal a new car for 2023, in addition to a fresh livery. This offered a first look at some of the understated changes produced by the revised regulations, along with points of convergence in the second year of the ground effect rules
The pioneering F1 car that preceded Lotus’s terminal decline
In the hands of Ayrton Senna the actively suspended 99T would be the last F1 race-winning Lotus but, as STUART CODLING reveals, it was a complicated machine that caused more problems than it solved
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.