"To be 1.8 seconds behind is a real kick in the teeth" - Lewis Hamilton laments 'struggle' with his Mercedes at 2022 F1 Belgian GP

Lewis Hamilton has admitted to having his summer break optimism dashed by Mercedes' astronomical gap to Red Bull during qualifying for the 2022 F1 Belgian GP.

It seemed as though Mercedes had recouped lost ground in their battle against Red Bull and Ferrari with impressive performances and two double podium finishes to close out the first part of the season.

Their return to action at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, however, has not gone to plan. After struggling for pace during all three Free Practice sessions, Lewis Hamilton qualified in P7 for the race but will move up the grid, owing to the penalties incurred by other drivers for changing their Power Unit (PU) components.

Despite having a starting spot on the second row for tomorrow, Hamilton cannot look beyond the gap between him and Red Bull's Max Verstappen. The reigning world champion was the fastest man during qualifying and 1.8 seconds ahead of Hamilton.

Speaking in an interview after the session, Lewis Hamilton admitted that he is already looking forward to next season's car. The seven-time world champion said:

“Everyone is working for improvements. We came here very optimistic we could be close, but to be 1.8 seconds behind is a real kick in the teeth. It’s a car we continue to struggle with and definitely won’t miss it at the end of the year. For me, it’s just focusing on how we build and design next year’s car. The teams ahead of us are in another league and our car looked so much different today. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’ll do the best we can with what we have for the rest of the season.”

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"Hopefully that’s a while off" - Lewis Hamilton won't bid goodbye to F1 until he's 'completely burnt out'

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed his retirement is still a long way down the road, admitting he won't leave F1 until he is completely burnt out.

Hamilton started his career with McLaren back in 2007 and is now in his 16th season in F1. Following Sebastian Vettel's impending retirement at the end of the year, the Briton will be the second-oldest driver on the grid, behind Fernando Alonso.

The seven-time world champion's current contract runs through until the end of 2023 but Hamilton has no plans to walk away just yet, feeling there is more to be achieved on and off the asphalt.

In an interview after Sebastian Vettel announced his plans to retire during the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP, Lewis Hamilton said:

“I think it’s a reminder that I’m in that part of my career where people that I came up with and raced with for so long will start to stop. Before you know it, Fernando will not be here. And then, who was there after that? I’ll be the oldest I guess! But, no, it’s not made me think about that [retirement]. I’m thinking about how I can improve this car. I’m thinking about what the steps I need to take to get this team winning again, what is the road map to winning another world championship? What are the steps we need to do to have everyone aligned in this sport to do more to start truly reflecting the work that we’re trying to do in terms of diversity? I’m thinking about all those things.”

The Mercedes driver is adamant he still has plenty to go in the tank, adding:

“When I talk about fuel left in the tank, I’m still fighting for those things and still feel like I’ve got plenty to go in that. If I stop, I will still have fuel in the tank. I don’t think I will go until I’m completely burnt out and have nothing left. But, hopefully that’s a while off.”

Heading into the 2022 F1 Belgian GP, Lewis Hamilton is sixth in the World Drivers' Championship standings with 146 points.