© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Lewis Hamilton says “if the car comes correct”, he’ll be “ready to fight for the championship”, but “that’s not the case or the reality at the moment”.
In an interview with Fox Sports Australia, Lewis Hamilton talked about his path to seven world championships and explained what helped him make progress with his performance over the years.
“A lot of it [improvement] has been done in the background, in processes in the background,” Hamilton said.
“So, how I engage with engineers, how I’m able to extract what I need from all the different sections, different departments.
“I think the bouncing back scenario, particularly when I was younger, I’d have a bad race and you couldn’t talk to me for days. I was in such a dark place.
“So being able to recover… the past is the past. I can’t change that, what I can change is how I move forwards. That was a huge step for me.
“The physicality side of it, how you eat, how you prepare, time management, understanding of tyres.
“I understand the car so much more now than I did when I first got here, for example. I was at the mercy of the engineers around me. I can dictate a huge amount. I can say, ‘Hey guys, this is the direction we need to go.’ I can do that now.
“I know what I need in the car in order to be able to extract my performance and the performance of the car. There are a lot of areas.
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“There’s a calmness of the mind now that I didn’t have then. It comes with experience.”
Despite Mercedes’ issues right now, Lewis reiterated that he is as prepared as ever to win another world championship.
“I don’t like driving a car that’s not the car that we’d meant to have. But I love that challenge. What can I do with it?
“OK, wins are not possible right now but what’s the maximum we can get? Can we be a little cheeky? If fifth is the best we can get, can we get a fourth or a third?
“Just make sure we’re consistent and make sure you’re fit and ready, so when the car all of a sudden does switch on and it is the car that you dreamed of having, you’re ready.
“I’m ready to win a world championship. I’ve prepared the best way I can this year, I think the best that I’ve ever prepared.
“If the car comes correct, I’ll be ready to fight for the championship. Unfortunately, that’s not the case or the reality at the moment.
“But I’m working with everyone here and back at the factory to get there,” Hamilton concluded.
