Lewis Hamilton expects Mercedes to end the 2022 Formula 1 season without winning the race

Lewis Hamilton came close to securing a first win of the season for Mercedes when he finished second to Max Verstappen in the US GP; Hamilton, who is aiming to extend his record for winning races in all of his 16 seasons, says Mercedes is unlikely to triumph in 2022

Lewis Hamilton says he expects Mercedes to end the 2022 Formula One season without a win, despite coming agonizingly close to victory in the United States Grand Prix.

Mercedes have endured a hugely disappointing campaign following the introduction of new design rules and saw their eight-year constructors’ championship streak officially end on Sunday as Red Bull added the title to Max Verstappen’s second consecutive drivers’ crown.

After an encouraging display in Austin, whether Mercedes can win one of the final three races – starting in Mexico this weekend – has been hotly debated, but the seven-time world champion is not sure.

Hamilton pointed to the fact that his strong race performance was helped by finishing third on the grid due to penalties for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.

“I think we really have to be realistic,” Hamilton said. “The Red Bull car has been by far the fastest car all year and it’s still the fastest car.

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Highlights of the United States Grand Prix from the Circuit of the Americas

“So [in USA] we were in the position we were in through reliability. If Charles was there, if Perez was there for example, it would have been a different race because they would have been ahead of us. We would have been in the third row.

“It was great to start third and be in a position to fight, but in real speed they were ahead of us today and they will be for the next three races.”

If Hamilton doesn’t win in Mexico, Brazil or Abu Dhabi, all live on Sky Sports F1 starting with the Mexico City race this weekend, it would tie his record-equaling run of wins in at least all his seasons. an end.

Hamilton was aiming to break the tie with Michael Schumacher in his 16th campaign this year.

Hamilton’s hopes of victory in Austin were further boosted when Verstappen was held still for 11 seconds during his second and final pit stop, which saw the Red Bull driver drop around seven seconds behind the Briton, with Leclerc also sandwiched between them.

But Verstappen showed incredible speed to catch and pass both Ferrari and Mercedes, before securing his 13th win in 19 races this season.

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Lewis Hamilton passes Sebastian Vettel for the lead in the United States Grand Prix

“Unless something drastic happens to more of them, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll have the real pace to be able to compete with them,” Hamilton added.

“We will give it everything we have and we are working on a car to be able to fight with them.

“He (Verstappen) was behind Charles, it just shows how much speed they had in hand, to get past Charles, catch me and finish three seconds ahead.”

Rosberg: Mercedes need luck to win a race

Hamilton’s former teammate, Nico Rosberg, agrees that Mercedes will need luck to triumph in the final three races.

Asked further Sky Sports F1’s Any Driven Monday if he thinks Mercedes will win a race, Rosberg said: “It’s hard to say, at the moment you’d probably say no.

“They need luck. If they can really get lucky, like with Max’s pit stop this weekend, if they can get something like that they have a real chance at it, but it’s a tough ask.

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Nico Rosberg thinks it is difficult to see his former team Mercedes winning a race this season

“Normally there should also have been Leclerc ahead of them on the grid, so much has to go in their favour.

Despite his concerns about Mercedes’ ability to challenge for a win, Rosberg says he has been hugely impressed by Hamilton’s drive, along with team-mate George Russell.

“Lewis is driving at the top of his game, as always,” added Rosberg, who beat Hamilton to the 2016 world championship before retiring.

“He’s still absolutely excellent out there at the moment, super brilliant. So it’s definitely not down to Lewis’ driving, it’s the car.

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff reflects on the race after Lewis Hamilton finished P2 in the US Grand Prix

“So let’s see, if the circumstances work in his favor, or Georges, it could still be good.

“I really wish that would happen for Mercedes, because they did such a good job of catching up during the season, understanding the problems they had, which were really big, big problems.

“The tumbler, breaking the floors because they hit the ground and finding that out during the year when you also have very limited testing was super difficult.

“Also doing it within the budget cap, such a big challenge and they’ve really made great strides.”