Mercedes-Benz

LEWIS HAMILTON has revealed his emotional reaction to George Russell’s first F1 win. The 24-year-old crossed the line first in the penultimate race in Brazil to secure Mercedes’ first win of the season.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton secured an unexpected 1-2 finish in BrazilCredit: Splash
It was a big moment for the Brackley-based team after a season of struggle and Russell was visibly emotional after his achievement.
Porpoising issues dominated the first-half of the season as both Hamilton and Russell struggled to get to grips with the car.
But the back end of 2022 saw the pair regularly challenging for race wins in a complete turnaround in form.
The incredible result in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, where Hamilton came second despite a crash with Max Verstappen, was the crowning moment for Mercedes.
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And Hamilton revealed his emotion at seeing his team celebrate their achievement.
The seven-time world champion told Channel 4: “I saw a video of my team when we got to Dubai [for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix].
“Just seeing everyone celebrating all together was quite an emotional thing, knowing how hard everyone had worked through the year.
“Also knowing how difficult it would have been for them, knowing how hard they would have worked last winter and they were not rewarded for all the hard work they had put in necessarily.
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“The whole season, not giving up and continuing to keep the faith, keep the hopes high and get a one-two was a very proud moment for me and the whole team.”
Mercedes’ struggles were one of the major themes of last season as Verstappen waltz to the title.
Despite winning every constructors’ championship since 2014 – up until the start of the 2022 season – the manufacturers toiled in the early goings as they tried to adjust to sweeping rule changes.
Only Ferrari appeared capable of challenging Red Bull but their season unravelled after multiple errors.
Last month, team principal Mattia Binotto resigned after their underwhelming performance. More

MERCEDES chief Toto Wolff expects seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton to extend his stay at the Silver Arrows despite failing to record a win in 2022.Hamilton, 37, is under contract at Merc until the end of 2023 and has previously declared he would not like to race in F1 beyond his 40th birthday.
Hamilton’s F1 contract expires at the end of next yearCredit: AFP
Merc chief Wolff expects Hamilton to extend his stayCredit: Splash
That would leave Hamilton with two or three seasons left in the sport and Merc chief Wolff is keen to make sure the Brit finishes with the team.
Wolff “absolutely” expects Hamilton to extend his contract.
He told F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast: “Certainly, Lewis’ contract is one of the topics that we will tackle over the winter.
“There’s no firm deadline. Absolutely, Lewis is part of the team and the team is part of Lewis. 
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“[There is] no reason [for that] to not continue. I think one of his strengths is that he’s always hungry, always eager. 
“He’s a great sportsman but he’s also someone who is extremely driven and determined.”
Hamilton and Co are hoping to bounce back in the 2023 season with the team recording just one win.
And the win came for team-mate George Russell in Brazil – leaving Hamilton winless for the first time in an F1 season.
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Hamilton would like to claim a record-breaking eighth world title, pushing him ahead of Michael Schumacher.
However, Merc team-mate Russell has thrown his hat into the ring for a title bid.
Russell, who finished the season in fourth, told Racer: “I think I’ve got enough experience now that I feel ready to fight for a championship and be able to handle the challenges and difficulties that come with it.
“Obviously the likes of Lewis and Max have more experience in that scenario.
“But if you go out and you put it on pole and win every race you will be world champion.
“So you have just got to focus on smaller details and it’s in your own hands, almost.” More

LEWIS HAMILTON won’t be part of a three-way Formula 1 title race next year, claims one team boss.The seven-time world champion slumped to sixth in the driver standings this year in Mercedes’ disappointing car, but showed encouraging signs towards the end of the campaign.
George Russell has been backed to be in a title race ahead of Lewis HamiltonCredit: Getty
Franz Tost is team principal of Red Bull affiliate AlphaTauriCredit: Getty
Hamilton, 37, is raring to go ahead of a renewed battle with the likes of Max Verstappen next season.
But AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost doesn’t think he stands a chance.
And he even reckons that Hamilton’s own team-mate George Russell, in the very same car, has greater title hopes.
Tost, 66, told Speedweek: “Such superiority as shown by Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing this year is rather rare.
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“I expect a three-way battle between Max, Charles Leclerc and George Russell, which is already stronger than Lewis Hamilton.
“The FIA ​​penalty will have a negative impact on Red Bull Racing, no question, even if the team has some of the best engineers.
“But I trust Red Bull Racing to be able to fight for the world title again.”
AlphaTauri are owned by Red Bull and are an affiliate team of Red Bull Racing.
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Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc will be in the mix once againCredit: Reuters
Russell, 24, earned his first race win in F1 at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, after Verstappen had sent Hamilton off track earlier in the race.
The Brit came fourth in the driver standings, 35 points and two places above his illustrious team-mate, who particularly struggled with his car’s porpoising during the first half of the season.
Despite Russell finishing ahead of him, Hamilton recently beat his team-mate to Autosport’s British Driver of the Year award.
Since the season finished, Hamilton has been enjoying himself on holiday in Egypt.
The F1 superstar checked out the pyramids, while also hanging out with supermodel Naomi Campbell.
Hamilton, 37, hung out with Naomi CampbellCredit: Getty More

LEWIS HAMILTON has shared photos of his trip to Egypt following the end of the Formula 1 season.The seven-time champion finished off a disappointing campaign in Abu Dhabi last month by retiring on the 55th lap as he ended the year without a win for the first time in his F1 career.
Lewis Hamilton visited the Pyramids while in EgyptCredit: Instagram
He also met up with Naomi CampbellCredit: Instagram
Hamilton also posed in front of a Dior backdropCredit: Instagram
Hamilton is enjoying some downtime after the end of the F1 seasonCredit: Instagram
He has been exploring the African country and shared pictures on social mediaCredit: Instagram
The incredible shots encapsulated Hamilton’s breathtaking tripCredit: Instagram
The Brit, 37, came sixth in the drivers’ standings, 214 points behind champion Max Verstappen and 35 adrift of Mercedes team-mate George Russell.
But he remained composed and positive throughout what was a difficult year for the team and has gone into the off-season filled with optimism about what could be achieved in 2023.
And he is now enjoying some well-earned downtime in Egypt, exploring the Pyramids and partying with model Naomi Campbell.
Hamilton spent the summer break tracing his roots in Africa, visiting countries such as Namibia and Rwanda.
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Now he is exploring another and took to social media to post about the incredible trip.
Speaking on Instagram, he said: “First time in Egypt!!
“I’ve wanted to come here for the longest time, and I’ve been wanting to see more of Africa after my trip this summer.
“Got to do both in one trip. Thank you @mrkimjones and the @dior team for inviting me along, these two beautiful days in Cairo were incredible 🇪🇬♥️.”
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On track, Hamilton remains committed to trying to win a record-breaking eighth world title.
He is currently level with Michael Schumacher on seven and came incredibly close to eclipsing the German in 2021 – only for Verstappen to overtake him on the last lap of the final race.
But Hamilton, who turns 38 in January, is determined to keep fighting.
Speaking at the end of the season, he said: “These next couple of weeks, we’ll be back at the factory, we’ll get to see everybody, and while we’re not celebrating a world championship, we’ll be celebrating them still for their hard work and efforts.
“I hope that the struggles this year really provide us with the tools and the strengths to fight for many more championships moving forward.” More

TOTO Wolff has opened the door for Mick Schumacher to be Lewis Hamilton’s new team-mate at Mercedes next season.The 23-year-old, son of legendary racer Michael, competed for Haas in 2022.
Mick Schumacher is the son of former F1 icon MichaelCredit: Getty
Toto Wolff has opened the door for Schumacher to join Lewis Hamilton at MercedesCredit: Getty
But Schumacher is a free agent after being replaced by Nico Hulkenberg.
Meanwhile, Mercedes are looking out for a new reverse after Nyck de Vries joined AlphaTauri and Stoffel Vandoorne signed for Aston Martin.
And Wolff admitted that he would be interested in taking care of the German when speaking at the Abu Dhabi GP.
He said: “Mick is someone that has always been close to our heart because of Michael, or the whole Schumacher family.
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“Ralf was in a DTM for a long time for us, his son races Mercedes [cars] in GTs.
“He’s an intelligent, well-mannered young man, [and] he’s been very successful in junior formulas.
“We believe that we can look after him if the situation were to happen and with someone that fits the team, but we haven’t really put pen to paper, we haven’t really come anywhere close to any terms.
“I’m saying that openly because I think he just fits and now we need to make it happen, if he wants to, Sabine [Kehm, Schumacher’s manager] wants to, and then we see where that goes to.”
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But Wolff admitted that nothing has been decided yet.
He added: “We haven’t really put pen to paper, we haven’t really come anywhere close to any terms.
“I’m seeing it that openly because I think he just fits and now we need to make it happen, if he wants to, Sabine wants to and then we see we see where that goes to.” More

LEWIS HAMILTON slammed Mercedes for giving him a car he “didn’t want” after ending the F1 season with ZERO wins.The seven-time world champion was hoping to end a miserable year with a victory at the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday.
Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire from the Abu Dhabi GP on SundayCredit: Getty
But Hamilton’s season in further disappointment after he was forced to retire with a suspected hydraulic issue three laps from the end.
It means the 37-year-old failed to win a single race for the first time since he joined the F1 circuit in 2008.
His DNF in Abu Dhabi saw him slip to sixth in the Drivers’ Championship, his worst ever return.
Hamilton even finished below Mercedes teammate George Russell, who came fourth.
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The Englishman reflected on a frustrating year and wasn’t exactly thrilled with the car he drove.
He said: “Ultimately, I think we started with a car that we didn’t want and we finished with a car that we didn’t want but we were basically stuck with it.
“We kept trundling way, kept working away at improving it, but I think the fundamentals have still been there until the end, as you saw this weekend.
“It’s been more of a team building exercise this year and I’m very, very proud of everybody.
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Despite his obvious frustrations, Hamilton still thanked his team for getting him through the worst season of his career.
He added: “Whilst we’re not celebrating a World Championship, we’ll be celebrating them still for their hard work and efforts.
“I hope that the struggles this year really provide us with the tools and the strength to fight for many more championships moving forward.” More