"Everybody said it was the worst decision to join this team": Lewis Hamilton looks back on his first win for Mercedes in the 2013 F1 Hungarian GP

Lewis Hamilton feels his first victory with Mercedes at the 2013 Hungarian GP was a relief after the doubts cast on his career move at the time. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda in Hungary, the Briton felt that his first victory with Mercedes boosted his confidence in the team.

Asked to reflect upon the 2013 Hungarian GP weekend, Lewis Hamilton said:

“I don’t really remember that weekend if I’m really honest. It’s been so many. I don’t know if it was, there have been so many. I wont say that it wasn’t the most memorable one but it was definitely, I’m sure it was definitely a relief."

He added:

"Everybody said it was the worst decision to join this team and there was so much doubt casted over me but I was continued to believe in my decision and I was all in. So to have come here.. and to win in the first season was definitely really great. And I knew maybe from then I knew that we had a team that was capable of winning championships.”

With a fuzzy memory of the entire 2013 Hungarian GP weekend, Lewis Hamilton tried to reflect upon his first victory with Mercedes at the Hungaroring. Stating that he has had better races and more memorable moments at the track, the Briton felt that victory boosted faith in the decision he had made to move teams.

After switching from McLaren to Mercedes in 2013, the seven-time world champion received his fair share of criticism for the move. However, despite the chatter, he felt the 2013 victory was a sign of relief, and it instilled more faith in him about the potential of the Brackley squad.

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Lewis Hamilton claims the Mercedes meeting prior to the 2023 Hungarian GP was positive and encouraging

F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Previews

Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes’ understanding of the new generation of cars has improved over time, and James Allison’s return is a positive addition.

The Briton claimed that he shared a good relationship with the British technical department chief and liked working with him. He claimed that their recent meeting with all the heads of their departments went well and boosted their faith in them.

Asked whether Mercedes finally had a better understanding of the new generation of cars and if Allison played a part in it, Lewis Hamilton said:

“I mean things are in the pipeline from many races to come. So that’s always the case and it takes time to build things. I mean James is great, we’ve got a really good relationship and he knows when to be stern and he’s probably quite actually soft to be honest."

He continued:

"I think had a great meeting just the other day with all the heads off all the departments within the room, George and I, and just making sure we were on the same page, great interaction and we have hundred percent faith in them just as a group as a whole, that we will get to where we want to be. It takes time.”

With Mercedes reverting back to a car with sidepods and improvements on their car, much of the direction of the growth of their package has been attributed to Allison’s return.

However, in Hungary, Lewis Hamilton could be more competitive and make the extra difference, as it is a circuit that is more suited to his driving style. He also spoke to Sportskeeda in the same media session, explaining the same.