Lewis Hamilton admits he's forgotten what winning feels like after another dismal season with Mercedes W13’s ‘evil sister’

Lewis Hamilton revealed that he doesn't remember how it feels to win an F1 race after two unsuccessful campaigns with Mercedes since 2022.

The new aerodynamic regulations hit Mercedes hard as the W13 (2022 challenger) turned out to be an extremely weak car. While Ferrari and Red Bull shuffled across at the top of the field, the Silver Arrows struggled with their unpredictability. The successor, W14, was expected to be a much better car, but with its zero pod concept and poor floor design, it was not challenging enough to win.

This resulted in Lewis Hamilton going two full seasons without a single victory. In the latest season of Netflix's Drive to Survive, he revealed that he has forgotten how victory feels, calling the W14 an 'evil sister' of the W13.

"My goal is to get back on top and win a championship again. But then we get in the car in 2023 and it's the evil sister [of 2022]. I can't really remember winning, it's been like a minute to be honest. I don't remember what that feeling is."

He further mentioned that the best course of action for the team is to accept their mistakes and learn from them.

"It is what it is, we've just got to take it on the chin and just acknowledge that we did not get it right, we took the wrong decision and start taking big strides in the right direction... before it's too late."

The 2024 season will mark Lewis Hamilton's final stint with Mercedes as he is all set to join Ferrari in 2025 after almost a decade with the Silver Arrows, replacing Carlos Sainz.

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Loose drain cover damaged Lewis Hamilton's W15 on day 2 of F1 pre-season testing

A drain cover on turn 11 of the Sakhir circuit proved to be brutal for two cars on the second day of the 2024 F1 pre-season testing.

Charles Leclerc in the SF-24 ran over a curb on that particular turn and a loose manhole cover hit his car, damaging the floor. Lewis Hamilton, who was following him in the W15, was the next to be hit by the same cover.

The red flag was shown as the marshals began inspecting that particular section of the track. The session did not continue, and for this reason, the second session of the day was stretched.

At the end of the second day, Lewis Hamilton was the third-fastest driver with a laptime of 1:31.066. Ahead of him was Sergio Perez of Red Bull, as Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari took the lead in the session clocking 1:29.921.