Lewis Hamilton has partially agreed with Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff who declared that 2022 was the most important year in the team's history. Coming off the back of eight successive Constructors' Championships, Mercedes fumbled the new ground effect technical regulations with porpoising and a fundamental floor problem affecting the team throughout the campaign. They slipped to third in the standings behind Red Bull and Ferrari, winning only one race, via George Russell in Brazil. Hamilton went winless for the first time in his career and finished sixth in the drivers' standings, his worst ever position. Despite the struggles, Hamilton was "thankful" for the year, believing the season will benefit the team in the long-run.
Hamilton on 2022 season
Prior to Mercedes buying the team in 2010, the Brackley team had previously been Brawn, Honda, BAR and Tyrrell, with Hamilton highlighting previous struggles they endured. "If you look back at the team's entire history, it was here a long time before Toto and I joined and they had some really difficult years," he explained to Mercedes when presented with Wolff's comments in an end of year interview. "Some of the people have been here for over 20 years and really been through the thick of it. I would say for our current team, in terms of the last 10 years, this has been the toughest year for everyone along with the most strengthening. "There has been so much resistance, so much we have been up against, and I am thankful that we have. "There are many people working here, along with many new people in the team, and this experience has been good for them too. "When we win, there is a different gratitude now because it happened so often before. "It's been a very hard year for everyone. For me, it's been challenging in ways that I wasn't expecting, but I am incredibly grateful for that. "I have felt more growth this year as a man, in terms of internal strength, than I have in many other years."
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