Lewis Hamilton's take on new W13 may not inspire Mercedes fans

Lewis Hamilton has laid bare his thoughts on the new Mercedes W13 and it may not inspire fans to hope for a whole lot from the Briton.

During an interview with F1 senior writer Lawrence Barretto, Hamilton spoke candidly about the new car he will be driving in hopes of regaining his crown in 2022. The Briton said:

“The car is so different, so much different than any other car I’ve driven in the past in terms of the aero and mechanical balance and how it shifts, low rear… It’s a different machine to drive and it’s going to require a lot of finesse, a lot of work to find how to set it up with new different tools that we have. But this is the most exciting part of the year for me. I would say, at least up until this point.”

Both Lewis Hamilton and his new Mercedes teammate George Russell got the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the W13 and take it out for a spin around a rain-soaked Silverstone.

The Silver Arrows posted a video showing the seven-time world champion's onboard footage. Watch:

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Lewis Hamilton 'inspired' and 'empowered' by Mercedes' hard work in building W13

During the launch event, Lewis Hamilton was full of praise for the entire factory for their tireless work in assembling the new W13.

When asked about the sacrifices that have gone in to make the car a reality, Hamilton said:

“Well, with all due respect, you won’t know because there’s over 2000 people who work the craziest hours to put these things together. I mean, this huge floor that we have this year. I was just told that the amount of hours it takes to put this floor together will blow your mind. It’s hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours just into building a floor. So, incredibly proud of everyone as always and just to see everyone so focused year on year.”

The 37-year-old was also pleased to see the team had not become complacent, despite their absolute domination for the better part of a decade. He added, saying:

“We’ve just done something no one has ever done, winning an eighth world title, constructors title. And to see them so hungry and driven and focused, taking all their experience and emotions at the end of the year and putting it into this year’s car is inspiring. It’s empowering and I’m looking forward to getting out.”

Mercedes will learn more about where their W13 stacks up when compared to the rest of the field in the first pre-season testing session that will take place between February 23 and 25. Meanwhile, the new season will get underway with the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend starting March 18.