F1 news: Lewis Hamilton confirms the moment that gives him hope for victory in 2024.

F1 news: Lewis Hamilton confirms the moment that gives him hope for victory in 2024.
Lewis Hamilton’s pole position in Hungary was a ray of hope for Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton said his Hungarian Grand Prix pole was a defining moment for the Mercedes team’s spirit and competitiveness. Despite a tough few years for the Brackley side, this match in Hungary gave them hope that they will catch up with Red Bull.

Key Learning Points:

Mercedes hopes: Hamilton’s pole position in Hungary has given Mercedes a huge boost in morale and confidence in their ability to challenge Red Bull. Technical achievements and challenges: Mercedes faced obstacles in the design of its car, but made significant improvements. In particular, the modified floor introduced in Austin allowed Hamilton to win.

Looking ahead to 2024: Hamilton acknowledges the limitations of the 2023 car and is optimistic about next season, expecting a significantly improved car in 2024. Lewis Hamilton said his pole position in Hungary at the start of 2023 has given Mercedes hope they can catch current leaders Red Bull next year. Mercedes, who dominated Formula One by winning eight consecutive constructors’ titles between 2014 and 2021, have struggled with the era’s new base-effect rules, with the Briton remaining unbeaten since December 2021. But there was one race weekend where Hamilton’s performance gave the team a glimmer of hope. It was Hungary.

“The best moment of the year was in Budapest, my favorite track, when I knocked out the Red Bulls at one point,” Hamilton said. “It gave us hope and the feeling that if we keep going forward we can get to their level.

“When I drove for the first time last February, I never thought it would be possible to get to pole position.”

Mercedes’ season tour has seen a number of technological advances, including a move to a sidepod solution for underbody cleaning in Monaco and a recent floor upgrade at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. These changes, particularly the revised floor, greatly improved the car’s performance, and Hamilton almost beat Verstappen at Austin, although the car was later disqualified.

“If I had a few more laps in Austin, I could have fought for the win,” Hamilton said. As Mercedes progressed, several teams on the grid also made giant leaps forward, including Aston Martin, McLaren and Ferrari, with Adrian Newey’s powerful RB19 winning all but one Grand Prix this season. .

By 2024, Mercedes is planning a complete overhaul to prevent the W14 from failing. “Progress is positive, but we’re not a race-winning car yet, so that has to change for 2024,” Hamilton admitted.

lewis hamilton mercedes

Alex Harrington

Alex is the editor-in-chief of F1. He fell in love with F1 at the age of seven after hearing the roar of a V10 in the open air of his grandparents’ living room. That year saw Michael Schumacher win his fifth championship with Ferrari and he hasn’t looked back since.