ABU DHABI — Lewis Hamilton ranks his 2022 season among the three worst seasons of his career, but says he’s not too worried about missing out on a race win this year.
The seven-time champion recorded his worst-ever place in the drivers’ standings after finishing sixth, 35 points behind teammate George Russell.
This year’s Mercedes, which won the Brazilian Grand Prix in the hands of Russell, has struggled for the record right from the opening lap of the season and only looks really competitive at a few races.
The 2022 season is also the first season in Hamilton’s 16-year career without winning a grand prix.
Despite the stats, Hamilton said the 2011 season, when he broke up with longtime girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and fell out with his father Anthony, who had managed his career up until that point, was worse.
“I think 2011 was probably the hardest year for me, in terms of life,” he said. “This year hasn’t been the best year, it’s probably in the top 3 of the worst seasons, but it’s been a much stronger year in terms of myself, in terms of how it works with the team, the way it works. we all stay united. So I think there are a lot of pluses.”
When asked if he was upset about breaking the record of winning one race per season, Hamilton added: “Honestly, it would be nice to have a win, but is one win not enough?
“So I feel like this year, when we got our first fifth, it was like a win. When we got the first fourth, it was like a win.
“When we first stepped onto the podium, it felt like a victory and those moments were like we really achieved something, so I’m going to hold onto those.”
