Lewis Hamilton endured the longest wait of his Formula 1 career – by far – to score his 104th victory yesterday.
Winning more races than any other driver in history is no hardship. And Hamilton’s wait pales in comparison to Fernando Alonso’s 11-year stretch without a win. But for a driver so accustomed to success, being starved of it for so long was always going to hurt.
In the aftermath of his triumph yesterday Hamilton admitted he had gone through an “incredibly mentally challenging” time, beginning with the notorious moment at the end of the 2021 season when he was denied what should have been his 104th win, and the record-breaking eighth championship it would have delivered.
“It’s been such a long time,” he said. “Someone just told me 946 days or something like that since the last win.
“It’s been really challenging. A difficult time, obviously 2021, and then coming back in with a car that we’ve not been able to fight with for the last couple of years.”
After the trauma of his 2021 championship defeat, Hamilton went quiet for months, provoking speculation he wouldn’t return, then came back with his head held high. When faced with suggestions Mercedes had thrown so much at the previous season they might have compromised their preparations for the drastic aerodynamic overhaul which arrived in 2022, he was defiant.
“My team don’t make mistakes,” he said. “Of course, there is always a risk, but we don’t make mistakes. There’s a lot of very intelligent people back at the factory and I trust them 100%. Whatever we start with today, whether it’s good or bad, we’ll work through it.”
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But the following two seasons proved Mercedes not only capable of making mistakes, but taking too long to correct them. Hamilton was back on the podium immediately in the first race after Abu Dhabi, but he acknowledged it was no reflection of their true pace as both Red Bulls succumbed to technical failures in the latter stages.
Tougher times followed. Hamilton was 10th in Jeddah, 13th at Imola. He came fourth in Baku but was visibly pained by the bone-shaking ride he endured in the W13 on the high-speed street track.
As the season went on, Hamilton’s faith in Mercedes’ ability to develop a car was vindicated. They made frequent trips to the podium and Hamilton was a genuine contender for victory…
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