Lewis Hamilton's leadership is 'what we need' after tough 2022 F1 season, says Mercedes technical director

Mercedes Technical Director Mike Elliot claims that despite having a more or less midfield car, Lewis Hamilton has been an asset to the team and worked with the same spirit as he did when he was fighting for championship titles.

He admitted that the Briton continues to lead the team with the energy that he brings in, motivating everybody around to give their best, even if it means fighting for third in the championship.

As reported by Racingnews365, speaking about Lewis Hamilton's contributions to the team, Elliot said:

"Both our drivers have been brilliant this year. We've not given them the car that they need to fight, and particularly for Lewis, seven-time World Champion, to not have been in that position, to be winning races every weekend and fighting for championships has been hard. I think Lewis pushes the team. I think he does a really good job of giving us feedback. He works really hard. His work ethic has not changed at all this year."

He added:

"He's here, late in the evenings, working with us, trying to get the most from the car and I think that's just an encouragement to everybody else in the team to see the input he's putting in. Lewis also spoke to the factory probably nearly two weeks ago and stood up and spoke to them and he was brilliant. I guess what you expect from a character like Lewis: properly leading, properly bringing energy to the team. I think that's what we need going into difficult winter."

"You don't gain a lot when you win" - Lewis Hamilton on the 2022 season so far

Mercedes dominated F1 in the turbo-hybrid era, having won eight consecutive world championship titles up until the end of the 2021 season. With the new regulations introduced in 2022, however, the Silver Arrows have not had a car to compete with the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari. However, Lewis Hamilton is not discouraged by this.

As reported by Sky Sports, the seven-time world champion believes there is plenty for Mercedes to gain from having a car that is not as dominant against the rest. He said:

"I look at it as a bit of adversity and I think that's where you can really gain strength. I think we've gained a lot of strength in depth. When you winning all the time it's a wonderful thing but you don't gain a lot when you win."

Speaking about the team's goal for the constructors' standings, Lewis Hamilton added:

"Our goal is to try and get second in the teams because that does make a huge impact for everybody back at the factory and so these next six races are just about maximum attack, nothing to lose and going to give it hell."

Mercedes are yet to win a race in the 2022 F1 season, but with Hamilton guiding them, they'll be hoping for a string of good results in the upcoming races.