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As Mercedes revealed its new single-seater W14, driver Lewis Hamilton shared his excitement for the new F1 season and the challenges set to come from his seventeenth year in the sport.
The new W14 was revealed this morning by Mercedes. The single-seater set to compete for the title in 2023 surprised fans with a return to the black livery and with some peculiar aerodynamic choices.
If first impressions matter, driver Lewis Hamilton admitted he cannot wait for the start of the new season, his seventeenth on the grid. When asked by FormulaNerds whether his passion and excitement remained the same even after his successful career in the sport, Hamilton confirmed: ‘Definitely, definitely. I wouldn’t say that that’s been the case like every single season but this was a great break hence I can’t remember the last time I felt as excited to get in the car to even test. Like I’ve done two test days already before this day, which I never do. I’m excited, I feel reinvigorated.’
2023: the comeback year?
Mercedes will be looking for redemption from the disappointments of 2022 and, according to Hamilton, the right attitude is not missing in Brackley:
‘I’m really excited to work with the team, it’s been great to see just how focused everybody is, how pumped everyone is.
I saw the car in the wind tunnel in December, and then this week is the most exciting week when you see all these pieces come together and then the car just looks streamlined. You can see it’s an evolution, when you have the meeting with the engineers and they take you through what they’ve done, why they’ve done it and what we’re hoping to get from it: it’s like Christmas, you just wait until you have to open your present and get in.’
Furthermore, a final thought went to his form ahead of the season: ‘It’s another season. Physically I feel great, I am very much focused on trying to raise the bar in that area. It’s gonna be a challenge and that’s what I live for.’
Hamilton’s wish to finally get the season going will be granted with the pre-season testing in Bahrain (23rd-25th February) as Mercedes aspires to get back at the front of the grid.
Headline Image: Mercedes AMG F1 Media Database