Lewis Hamilton: Taking Mercedes to the limit in 2022 F1 season is 'like creeping up behind a horse'

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claimed that despite pushing the W13 to its limit, he knew the car would fail him. The W13 has been a struggle for the Mercedes drivers all year long, providing the team with zero wins this season.

While speaking to the BBC, Lewis Hamilton opened up about his struggles with the 2022 season's car. He claimed that pushing the W13 to the limit is "like creeping up behind a horse", saying:

"You're trying to get as close as possible. What's the breaking point before it kicks you in the face? And you know it's going to hurt when it hits your face. That's one of the best ways I can say what it's like when you're trying to lean on the car and it's snapping and unrecoverable. And this car, it's random."

While Lewis Hamilton has been supportive of Mercedes throughout the season, the Briton has also been openly critical of the car. With the extreme bouncing and later on drag, he feels the team has struggled for the longest time. He said:

"We sat in February and we were all upbeat," he says. "They were all telling us we were gonna have massive quick car. And I'm sure everyone who was working on it was so hyped with all the hard work they put in through the winter - it's such a gruelling time for everyone in the team; that's when they really crunch and out in the crazy hours. To then find out the damn thing doesn't work, and we've got bouncing, that was hard for everybody. Everyone was really struggling, I think."

The Mercedes W13 was easily the third or fourth fastest car for the better part of the season. The 'porpoising' was also massive, with Lewis Hamilton ironically suffering the most from it.

The team will have to carry out profound changes if they are to catch Red Bull or Ferrari next season.

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Lewis Hamilton complements Red Bull tire strategy as Mercedes lose again

Lewis Hamilton addressed the strategy that Mercedes undertook during the 2022 F1 Mexican GP. The driver also praised Red Bull's efforts and claimed that the car was too fast for Mercedes.

In his post-race interview with Marc Gene in parc fermé, the Briton said:

"Yeah, well first, this has been an amazing crowd. Definitely a bit awkward this time around, boos all-day but nonetheless, I have so much love for Mexico and for the people here and what a great race and event they've put on this weekend. I was so close in that first stint but I think the Red Bulls were just clearly too fast today and ultimately, maybe they had the better tyre strategy."

Lewis Hamilton was also not exactly on board with Mercedes' strategy during the race. The knight now only has two more chances to bring home a win this season.