If the 2022 Formula 1 season ended today, Lewis Hamilton’s sixth place in the drivers’ championship would be his worst of his 16-year career.
With six races remaining, that could change: Even second place in the standings is not out of reach. There are many more chances for the Mercedes driver to score points and for his rivals ahead to throw them away.
But by almost every metric, this has been the most challenging and least rewarding season in Hamilton’s illustrious career. It has seen arguably two of his worst race weekends in a Formula 1 car – in Jeddah and Imola, where he finished tenth and 13th respectively while team mate George Russell took fifth and fourth.
However, the Mercedes driver’s lowest moment may have come at the Belgian Grand Prix, where accidental opening lap with Fernando Alonso had ended his race and trashed a young power unit in the process. Speaking to select media including RaceFans four days after that setback, the fusion of frustration, guilt and determination the accident had sparked within Hamilton was evident.
“These past few days have not been easy and I don’t take lightly mistakes that I make,” he said in the Zandvoort paddock. “And some people will be like, ‘well, don’t be so hard on yourself,’ but that’s how I’ve got to be the driver I am today.
“There’s so many implications of a mistake like, for example, the one I just made. The team, the damage, the points for the team, the morale. So I go back into the factory and I’m like, ‘I’m so sorry’. But we win and we lose as a team and we pull back together and that’s the part I really do love.”
But support for Hamilton comes from far beyond just his team. As a driver, he receives plenty of encouragement from his close friends and family, as well as wide international support from millions of fans across the world. Hamilton says he remains acutely aware of it while at the track.
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“I’m not alone in the emotional rollercoaster ride,” he says. “I feel bad for my friends that came to [Spa] and sat there ready to go, even if they’re one of a couple in a big orange field of Max [Verstappen] fans.
“I’m so proud of them for the bravery they have, especially with what’s been going on this year, it’s not easy to stand in a crowd of the opponent’s fans. But they have…
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