In the Hollywood version of his year, 2022 would have been his shot at redemption. Fuelled by his feelings of injustice following last December’s title decider in Abu Dhabi — in which a controversial decision by race control resulted in him losing the championship to Max Verstappen on the final lap — he would have reclaimed the crown this season.
No doubt, there would have been some setbacks along the way, perhaps more controversy at the final race, but the end result would have been a record-breaking eighth world championship tied neatly in a bow.
But Formula One doesn’t follow a Hollywood script. Far from it.
Unlike the movies where the main character invariably overcomes the odds, an F1 driver’s chances of success are almost entirely reliant on the performance of their car. And the stark reality in 2022 is that, despite a run of eight consecutive years fighting for titles, Hamilton’s Mercedes car simply isn’t fast enough to challenge Verstappen’s Red Bull.
Mercedes’ drop in performance from one year to the next can be traced to a major change in the technical regulations over the winter, which shuffled the team down the order. As a result, Hamilton currently sits sixth in the drivers’ standings and with six races remaining this year is already mathematically ruled out of the championship. The prospect of an eighth world title feels distant, and for the first time in his F1 career there is a real danger he will go an entire season without a race win.
Mercedes’ lack of performance was evident as soon as the car hit the track during pre-season testing in February, and by the fourth race of the year at Imola Hamilton had already dismissed his chances of fighting for the title. It didn’t take long for his comments to ignite speculation over his future, with several onlookers suggesting he might use the lack of performance as an easy excuse to retire.
Hamilton’s response came via an Instagram post soon after Imola, with an image caption that read: “Working on my masterpiece, I’ll be the one to decide when it’s finished.”
But as determined as Hamilton has been to carry on, he has undoubtedly had to shift his expectations this year. After eight consecutive seasons of turning up at race tracks expecting to win, victories have almost always been out of reach this year.
So how has the seven-time world champion dealt with such a big change in mindset?
“With great difficulty,” he responds candidly. “But I think it’s really just about taking time to sit back, reflect…
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