Lewis Hamilton — 2022 season

Lewis Hamilton's 2022 Formula 1 season, his 16th in the sport, represented a significant departure from his dominant prior years, as he navigated Mercedes' complex W13 under the sport's new ground-effect regulations, ultimately concluding without a race victory.

Going in

Following the contentious conclusion to the 2021 season, 2022 ushered in a new era for Formula 1 with sweeping technical regulations focused on tunnel-floor ground-effect aerodynamics, 18-inch wheels, and simplified aero components. Mercedes, having dominated the preceding hybrid era, aimed to continue their success. Hamilton, a seven-time World Champion, entered the season with expectations of challenging for an unprecedented eighth title. However, the radical design of their W13 car, particularly its 'zeropod' concept, quickly revealed significant challenges, most notably severe porpoising and a narrow operating window.

How it played out

The season began with a deceptive podium finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where Hamilton secured 3rd place. This early result, however, masked the W13's fundamental issues. The subsequent races at Saudi Arabia, where he finished 10th, and Emilia Romagna, where he placed 13th and was lapped by eventual champion Max Verstappen, underscored the car's performance deficit. Mercedes struggled to mitigate the porpoising, which severely impacted both driver comfort and car performance, especially on bumpy circuits.

As the season progressed, Mercedes gradually understood and improved the W13. Hamilton's performance trajectory showed a marked improvement from the Canadian Grand Prix onwards, where he began a consistent run of podium finishes. He secured 9 podiums in total, including a strong sequence of five consecutive top-three finishes from Canada through Hungary. Despite these efforts, the car's inherent limitations meant challenging Red Bull for wins was largely out of reach. His only DNF came at the Belgian Grand Prix due to collision damage.

A key aspect of Hamilton's 2022 season was the internal team dynamic. While Hamilton finished 6th in the Drivers' Championship with 240 points, his new teammate George Russell finished 4th with 275 points and secured Mercedes' sole victory of the season at the São Paulo Grand Prix. This marked the first time Hamilton had been outscored by a teammate over a full season since 2016, and his first winless season in Formula 1.