Lewis Hamilton in good spirits about Mercedes title race – ‘My team doesn’t make mistakes’

Lewis Hamilton is recharged and ready to fight for a record eighth F1 World Championship crown in 2022 after his title heartbreak in Abu Dhabi at the end of last season

Lewis Hamilton is confident Mercedes can produce a car capable of winning him an unprecedented eighth world title.

After a controversial and heartbreaking loss at the end of the 2021 campaign in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton took a break from social media after admitting he was disappointed with F1.

Now the 36-year-old is back refreshed and eager to take part in the next campaign, where he will aim to make history and overtake legend Michael Schumacher as the most successful driver in the history of the sport.

The Silver Arrows will also be vying for a ninth successive constructors’ championship and the F1 icon is confident his team will fire on all cylinders again despite new regulations coming into force.

“Every year is exciting but this one is completely new,” said the Briton.

“Obviously I’ve seen the designs of our car, but it’s the first time you see the other teams on track.

“You want to get up close and see why others have taken a different path. You have no idea where you are, so that’s really exciting.”

All teams will have to adapt to a different set of regulations this coming season, with a new breed of F1 cars ready to hit the track, with pre-season testing starting in Barcelona today.

The new rules are designed to reduce the level of downforce on the cars with the intention of reducing the effect of dirty air in a bid to have more competitive racing.

The new campaign regulations aim to significantly simplify upper body aerodynamics.

This means less downforce from the tightly regulated front and rear wings, which are strictly prescribed in order to eliminate the overhang aerodynamics that have aggravated F1’s turbulence problems over the past decade.

In order to allow for better racing and eliminate the possibility of dirty air impacting overtaking, the aerodynamic phenomenon known as “ground effect” will help reduce “catastrophic downforce loss”. .

Commenting on the new rules, the seven-time champion said: “I really hope these rules allow for a tighter race. It puts everyone on a closer playing field.”

And when asked if he thought Mercedes might not be able to make a car worthy of him fighting for the world title in 2022, Hamilton was adamant in his response: “Why would I ever felt like this My team doesn’t make mistakes.

“Of course it’s a risk (with the new regulations) but I trust the team. Whether it’s good or bad, we’ll work on it.”

F1 2022 testing started earlier today and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is leading the way and was three-tenths quicker than McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Hamilton’s new Mercedes team-mate George Russell was third while defending champion Max Verstappen finished 2.1 seconds behind Leclerc.

The Briton, who is about to enter his 16th season in F1, took to the track for testing this afternoon.