Lewis Hamilton has hailed the progress Mercedes made throughout the 2022 Formula 1 season, despite there being “so much failure” during the year.
Mercedes entered the campaign with a car that was unable to compete at the front of the field against rivals Red Bull and Ferrari.
It suffered from heavy porpoising in the early stages, an issue that decreased as the season wore on.
The Brackley-based squad was hopeful through upgrades it brought to several rounds during the year, however none of the new parts delivered a consistent return to front-running pace.
Mercedes took its one and only race win of the year at the penultimate round in Brazil, with Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell securing his maiden victory.
Despite the year of struggle, Hamilton commended the work Mercedes did to overcome its issues.
“It’s been impressive, for sure,” Hamilton said. “I always knew that we could do it.
“I never doubted that we would get there in the end, but there was lots of trial and error, and so much failure this year.
“There were times we brought upgrades and they didn’t work, and times we tried different things and it didn’t work.
“I tried so many things and failed so many times but through that you learn and grow. That’s what it’s been about this year.
“It’s been about failure, breaking down egos, strengthening our relationships, and strengthening our communications. From that perspective it’s been really empowering.”
Mercedes’ first breakthrough came at the Spanish Grand Prix, where porpoising was notably less of a problem.
At that race, it was hopeful it had turned a corner, with Hamilton admitting disappointment over the false hope that was sent through the team.
“The first big step was Barcelona, that was our first hint of there being more potential in the car,” Hamilton said.
“It turned out to be a bit of a false positive; the car was good there but then the races afterwards were difficult.
“It was like a ghost was in the car and it kept coming back. But then there was France and that felt like a good step with our first double podium of the season.
“And then there was Austin, too, with the update we had working well.”
Mercedes ended the season third in the Constructors’ Championship, its first non-title year since the start of the turbo-hybrid era in 2014.
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