Hamilton needed time to clear his head away from the fallout from the 2021 Abu Dhabi Formula 1 title decider. But when he emerged from a winter silence to dismiss rumours that he might call time on his frontline career, the seven-time champion declared: “I’m putting every ounce of my energy and time into making sure that I’m the best you’ve ever seen.” But that promising level wasn’t quite what fans were treated to.
Hamilton has not long finished his first winless F1 season after 16 years in the top flight. Neither did he notch a pole position, while new team-mate George Russell achieved both. Those raw facts contribute to him falling to fourth in the Top 50 after five editions in a row at the very top. Of course, though, he was plying his trade in the Mercedes W13, which will likely go down as the worst car of his career, despite his efforts to troubleshoot and tame it.
