Lewis Hamilton details chats with engineers as Mercedes left ‘demoralised’
Lewis Hamilton held detailed talks with engineers after Mercedes ‘fraudulent’ exit
lewis hamilton
Lewis Hamilton wants to boost morale at Mercedes headquarters in Brackley (Image: Getty)
Lewis Hamilton has said there will be frequent strikes at Mercedes factories after the 2023 season after workers suffered a loss of morale. Hamilton and the Silver Arrows endured a difficult campaign last season. Neither the seven-time world champion nor George Russell could adequately challenge Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Mercedes’ inconsistency has frustrated Hamilton and Russell over the past year. The team has been unable to keep pace with Red Bull since new aerodynamic regulations were introduced at the start of 2022. Hamilton encouraged them at the Mercedes factory as they worked on the W15. He pointed out that the England team has lacked the “north star” for the past two years and now they need to work on it. “I’m in the factory a lot more now. I’m meeting all the department heads and trying to encourage and motivate them all,” said Hamilton, who is still looking to win a record eighth world championship.
“As you can imagine, everyone is disappointed and demoralized after this season. So I talk to them and tell them what we need to improve and where we need to go.
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Lewis Hamilton and George Russell battle for Mercedes compatibility in 2023 (Image: Getty)
“I try to help them stay positive and tell them we can do this. We looked closely at other cars and asked lots of questions to stimulate ideas.
“At the end of the day, you have to let them do their job. At the beginning of the season we had no north star to guide our progress. We ran down a small back road, trying to figure out which way to go.