Damon Hill has expressed his concern over Lewis Hamilton’s headspace following a dejected interview in the aftermath of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion could only finish ninth at the Yas Marina Circuit after suffering a Q2 elimination on Saturday.
Hamilton had already wrapped up third place in the Drivers’ Championship heading into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, but this will be of little consolation to the 38-year-old who still harbours hopes of fighting Max Verstappen again for his eighth title.
However, despite their massive development efforts at the end of the season, Mercedes remain some way off Red Bull in terms of performance. Hamilton struggled to get his W14 into a consistent operating window all weekend long and was unhappy with the balance from the get-go.
“Not too much,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 when asked after the race what he can take forward from a disappointing 2023 campaign. “It’s not been a great year in general. The fact I survived it. Probably that’s about it.”
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Asked whether or not Mercedes can fight Red Bull for the title in 2024 he continued: “At this moment, I don’t really know. For Red Bull to win by 17 seconds and they haven’t developed their car since August is definitely a concern.
“We have learned a lot about the car and it’s just down to the team now. They know what they need to do. Whether or not we will get there, we will see.”
These comments were a cause for concern for 1996 world champion Hill, who was surprised by the seven-time world champion’s lack of optimism regarding Mercedes’ hopes for the 2024 season. Hamilton signed a new two-year contract with the team earlier this year, along with team-mate George Russell.
“I mean Lewis is often like that after a race that has not delivered what he wanted,” Hill explained after the chequered flag on Sunday. “George managed to get something out of this weekend, he had a difficult time. It’s been a long hard year, he’ll bounce back after that.
“But the worrying thing is when Rachel [Brookes] asked him about hope on what’s coming, he wasn’t effervescent about it. I think on reflection I’m sure they will come back, they’ve got to have learnt something from the last two seasons.”
