Lewis Hamilton's Change in Mindset: How bad races from his younger days matured him

Lewis Hamilton admitted that he had a major mindset change after bad racing days compared to when he was younger and just starting out in F1.

Lewis Hamilton is now in his 17th season in the sport. Since his debut with McLaren back in 2007, the Briton has adapted and evolved in more ways than one. Many see all the success Hamilton has garnered over the course of his career. Meanwhile, there have also been plenty of dark days and disappointments for him to endure along the way.

In an interview with Fox Sports, Hamilton explained how his mindset has changed over the years every time he has had a tough day out on track. He said:

"I think the 'bouncing back' scenario [has changed]. I think, particularly when I was younger, [when] I had a bad race, you couldn't talk to me for days. I was in such a dark place often, so being able to recover and [think], 'Past is past. Five minutes ago, I can't change that. What I can change is how I move forward'. So that's something that was a huge step for me."

Since the start of the new ground-effect era of F1, Lewis Hamilton has had his toughest time in the sport. He's been without a win or a pole position since the end of the 2021 season. Given that Mercedes do not look like they will be in the same league as Red Bull anytime soon, Hamilton may have to rely on his mental fortitude to get him through the tough times going forward.

---

Lewis Hamilton could wait to assess Mercedes before signing contract extension, feels Damon Hill

Lewis Hamilton could be stalling on a possible contract extension with Mercedes as he might be waiting to assess the competitiveness of the W14 this year, according to 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill.

Hamilton is in the final year of his contract with the Silver Arrows, with whom he won six of his seven F1 Drivers' World Championships. While discussions on renewals have been in the air for some time now, a formal deal has not yet materialized.

Damon Hill shared his thoughts on the matter in a column for The Telegraph in the United Kingdom, where he said:

"Lewis Hamilton is out of contract at the end of this season. And it is going to be fascinating to see his next move. While both he and Mercedes have been saying for months that he plans to carry on, the fact remains that nothing has yet been announced. It begs the question, why? One possible explanation is that both sides are waiting to see just how competitive Mercedes are before committing to a new deal."

Hill also believes Hamilton's decision could be determined by the outcome of his battle against teammate George Russell. Russell is one of three teammates to have gotten the better of Lewis Hamilton over the course of his entire F1 season. The other two are former world champions Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg.

Should Russell do a double over Hamilton, it could force the latter to rethink his future with both Mercedes and F1 in general.