For his first media appearance of the year, Lewis Hamilton spoke about recent events and the verdict issued by the FIA.
After the heavy defeat suffered at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton remained silent for a long time. So much so that doubt crept into the minds of fans and the world of Formula 1, about a possible retirement of the Briton. When presentation of the Mercedes W13the seven-time world champion made his first media appearancesince that terrible evening of December 12, 2021. As a reminder, a questionable race relaunch had allowed Max Verstappen to recover the lead, while Lewis Hamilton on worn tires had led the GP from start to finish, or almost… The Dutchman ended up being crowned on the last lap of the last race on a controversy that targeted the race direction.
Today, the Englishman seemed much more sure of himself and with a conquering spirit, on the live presentation of Mercedes. He also took advantage of this day of shakedown to express himself on the dreaded subject and on his approach, at the dawn of the 2022 season:
« Of course, at the end of a season, we reflect. The question is whether you are ready to devote the time and effort necessary to be World Champion. I think a lot of people underestimate what it takes to be World Champion. There are many cogs. Just coming to drive the car is not enough. The question is: do we want to sacrifice this time? Do we think we can maintain the current level? This is a normal mental process for me. Of course, in this case, a significant factor weighed. And I think at the end of the day, with a sport that I’ve loved all my life, there was a point where I obviously lost a bit of faith in the system. However, I am a very determined person in general. And I like to tell myself that while moments like these can define careers, I refuse to let this one define mine. So I’m focused on being the best I can be and coming back stronger. »
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, so I focused on training, being healthy and enjoying the free time because it goes by quickly. With these long seasons, the rest period is not as long as one would hope,” he added. “She seems to be getting shorter and shorter. But I think over the years I’ve learned to be efficient with my time, with my recovery and then with training and rebuilding your body and mind. I feel good, I feel fit. Of course, when you have an extra year of experience under your belt, it always helps. I always feel like through these kinds of experiences you can turn that emotion into strength and power, and that’s what I do. I put that into my training and the work I do with the men and women of this team. If you think what you saw at the end of last year was my best, wait until you see this year. »
Recently, the FIA has given its verdict on the investigation conducted following the controversy surrounding the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. the replacing Michael Masi to the race direction and theadded video analysis cell, like VAR in football, gave Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes a bit of a win. The German clan and its champion reacted by accepting the idea that this kind of scenario does not happen again in Formula 1:
« While the past cannot be changed and nothing can ever really change how I felt at the time, or my opinion of this situation, it is good to see that the FIA is taking action to make improvements. I think holding people accountable is key. And we have to use this moment to make sure that never happens to anyone in this sport again. Even everything that has been said by the FIA, we are happy with it. But we have to make sure we keep an eye on that and that those changes actually happen, that the rules are enforced with fairness, precision and consistency.”
Photo : mercedesamgf1
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