Lewis Hamilton says it “could be a dream” if he was in a position to end his time at Mercedes on a excessive with a championship problem in 2024.
Mercedes launched its 2024 automobile — the W15 — on Wednesday, with Hamilton and teammate George Russell each finishing up filming duties throughout a shakedown in moist circumstances (pictured above). The automobile shall be Hamilton’s final as a Mercedes driver earlier than his change to Ferrari, and he says he’s decided to make sure he’s in the very best form to attempt to add to his report variety of wins with the crew.
“I really feel essentially the most motivated and targeted I’ve ever been,” Hamilton mentioned. “Yearly you come again and you’re like ‘I’m fitter than ever’ and all these various things. However I typically really feel I put extra work and extra time and extra focus into preparation this yr.
“I by no means thought at this level in my life that I’d have starvation like I do proper now. And to complete on a excessive with the crew could be a dream. We’ve gone by a complete heap collectively, so to complete on a excessive, it will be the best honor to have the ability to assist them get again to the highest.”
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The seven-time world champion admits it has been a troublesome few weeks since informing Mercedes he could be leaving on the finish of the season, having initially joined the crew greater than a decade in the past.
“Clearly been emotional — it’s very surreal to be right here given I got here right here in 2013,” he mentioned. “So 11 years with the crew, beginning my twelfth, and it’s such a privilege to work with a gaggle of individuals the place you see the work they’re doing over the winter — we undergo this course of during the last couple of years — you see a automobile come collectively firstly of the yr, it’s essentially the most thrilling a part of the season actually.
“You see everybody’s launches; that is the primary time I’ve seen the automobile come collectively as a complete, however to know every little thing that’s beneath the hood — which individuals gained’t get to see however George and I’ll get to expertise on the monitor — is thrilling.”
