© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Mercedes’ Andrew Shovlin says after Abu Dhabi, Lewis Hamilton “knew how he wanted to respond in 2022 and we were unable to give him a car to allow him to play that role”.
The 2021 season ended in controversial fashion, when the race director’s disregard for the rules in the final race of the season, prevented Lewis Hamilton from winning the championship.
After that traumatic experience, Lewis Hamilton wanted to strike back in 2022, but unfortunately, Mercedes’ car was unable to challenge Red Bull and Ferrari.
In a talk with Motorsport, Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin admits the situation was difficult for everybody in the team.
“In the early part of the year, there’s no doubt, whether you’re talking about Toto’s relationship with the engineering team or engineering’s relationship with Lewis, there was quite a lot of stress and pressure and anxiety, and difficult conversations, because we simply hadn’t done anywhere near a good enough job,” Shovlin said.
“I think for Lewis it was particularly challenging coming off the back of 2021. He knew how he wanted to respond in 2022 and we were unable to give him a car to allow him to play that role.
“And it was definitely a difficult time. But I think the process has been good for the team.
“One of the biggest challenges we had was sticking together and working together, which we’ve come through well and I think the experience will serve us well further down the line.
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“Tricky cars like that on the back of a run of success are quite a difficult thing for a team to deal with, and it’s a case of working out: ‘what is it you do as an organisation that’s good that needs to be kept, and what is it that you do as an organisation that’s not good enough and you’ve got to change?’
“And that, again, was a process that we were running through for a lot of the year.”
However, Shovlin believes these unpleasant experiences will help Mercedes in the future.
“There were some difficult points where we know that the car that we gave them in Baku, in Montreal, in Imola and all those races, it was bordering on dangerous.
“And that certainly focuses your attention to make sure that we dig ourselves out of that position and start giving them something that they can race in again.
“But the whole team has been through a lot with Lewis, and it’s great that we have such an experienced driver when we’ve had such a challenging year.
“Hopefully, we’re now through the worst of that challenge and we can get on with the next challenge, which is hopefully fighting our way back to the front and fighting for championships,” the Briton concluded.
