2023 Battle Lines Already Drawn As Lewis Hamilton Sends a Strong Message to Max Verstappen & Co.: “This Year Has Really Prepared Us…”

The 2022 F1 season surely didn’t go Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’ way. The British driver and his team were left short of their target as Max Verstappen and Red Bull won both titles and that too with quite a margin this year. However, Hamilton believes they’re ready for the Red Bull challenge in 2023.

Hamilton recently opened up on his team’s chances next year and the bonding he strengthened with his teammate George Russell at Silver Arrows. The Briton feels that the moderate 2022 season “prepared” Mercedes for better performances in 2023.

Talking about this, the seven-time world champion conveyed during a fan event, prior to Saturday’s qualification in Abu Dhabi, “We sharpened our tools. I think this year’s really prepared us for an even better 2023 season.”

As soon as Hamilton finished his speech, fans approved with a loud cheer.

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Talking about his partnership with new teammate George Russell, the 37-year-old conveyed that the duo has been tested, and they have grown closer to one another. Russell arrived at the Brackley-based team from Williams earlier this season and replaced Alfa Romeo-bound Valtteri Bottas.

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have a lot at stake at the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP

Formula 1 is in the United Arab Emirates for the ultimate race of the season. The pinnacle of motorsport is in Abu Dhabi, where everything gets decided and both the championships get sealed till the very last place. Even though the situation is quite different from that of 2021, the 2022 race still holds importance to Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes.

As for Hamilton, he’s yet to pick up a win this season. Mercedes won their first race this season last week at the Brazilian Grand Prix. However, the win was George Russell’s, and the Briton has only managed to finish in P2 in the last three back-to-back races in the USA, Mexico, and Brazil.

A win will see Hamilton surpass Michael Schumacher as the driver with at least one win in 16 consecutive seasons. Schumacher and Hamilton have the same record for 15 seasons. As for Mercedes, they need hefty points to overtake Ferrari and place themselves in P2.

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Currently, the German team is trailing the Italian team by 19 points as they picked up 505 points so far. They will need Hamilton and Russell to put up mighty performances to have an outside chance of beating Ferrari and taking home the P2 in the constructors’ championship.