Lewis Hamilton cut a dejected figure after the season finale in Abu Dhabi and doubts whether Mercedes are capable of closing the gap to Red Bull next year given how far ahead Max Verstappen finished the last race of the campaign. Red Bull were already one step ahead after the change in regulations last year but took it to another level in 2023 to blow their rivals away.
Mercedes, Ferrari, Aston Martin and McLaren had no answer for Red Bull’s dominance as Verstappen went on to win an unprecedented 19 races. Carlos Sainz was the only non-Red Bull driver to stand on top of the podium this year with Hamilton going another season without a race win.
His last came at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with Mercedes unable to find a way to truly challenge Red Bull. It looked at one stage the Silver Arrows had turned a corner after the Mexican Grand Prix, but they suffered disappointing setbacks in Brazil and Las Vegas with George Russell’s performance the only highlight for the team in Abu Dhabi.
And Hamilton was downbeat after the race when asked to reflect on his 2023 season overall. “There’s not a lot to take from the year in general,” Hamilton said.
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“The fact that I survived it, that’s about it.” Hamilton was equally dejected when asked whether he’s confident Mercedes can close the gap to Red Bull for next season.
He added: “At this moment I don’t really know. For Red Bull to win by 17 seconds in the end and they haven’t developed their car since August is definitely a concern.
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“We’ve learnt a lot about the car. It’s just down to the team now. They know what they need to do. Whether or not we’ll get there we’ll see.”
Toto Wolff was more optimistic about Meredes’ chances of catching Red Bull next year. “I mean we have a gap to the leaders, but the two teams in Brackley and Brixworth are so motivated, we have so much good things in the pipeline, so much new things,” he said.
“I am in a really good place to see what’s coming together. We’ve got to take momentum from here and take that momentum into the factories.”
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