LEWIS HAMILTON SET FOR F1 RETURN THIS WEEK ALONGSIDE FERNANDO ALONSO AND GEORGE RUSSELL
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are back on the track ahead of Mercedes unveiling their new car for the upcoming 2023 F1 season. The duo have joined Aston Martin drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll in Jerez, where they will drive laps as part of a Pirelli tyre test.
Last week, Mercedes shared pictures of both Hamilton and Russell back in action in France as part of the same test and they have now travelled to Spain to continue their work.
Spanish outlet Marca is reporting that tests will take place behind closed doors and are expected to be carried out in last year's cars. Mercedes are set to officially unveil their car for the new season on February 15 as they bid to bounce back from a disappointing 2022 campaign, which saw Russell finish fourth and Hamilton finish sixth.
And seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton is confident they will be able to compete for the title again this year. "I think we've grown as a team, I think we've improved our processes, I think we've improved our communication, and I think it's made us hungry," he said.
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"For me, it's been different to previous years, when we were fighting for wins. We were fighting for our first fifth place; we really felt like we achieved something in those times. I think it's been a good lesson, a good building block for us all.
"To get a one-two at the end [of the season] in Brazil, was I think a huge boost for everybody. I probably couldn't put into words how much it meant to everybody at the factory, and to me to be a part of that.
"We've seen that we can do it, we've seen that we can get back to our winning ways, we've had a taste of it, and now I think that's just made everyone even more hungry." And defending world champion Max Verstappen expects both Hamilton and Russell to be among his biggest title challengers this year.
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"He [Hamilton] has been one of the greatest drivers ever in the sport, so for sure if he has the car to do it, he can fight for the title again," Verstappen told Sky Sports. "But, that's the same for George, and the same for Charles [Leclerc], it's the same for Lando [Norris]. If you give them a car which is capable of winning a championship, they can.
"But it's also about when you have the car, the pressure comes. You cannot afford mistakes or at least you cannot afford big mistakes, but that's the level of the different pressure you have. But I'm confident that once these guys, they get into a role like that, it is all possible. They have the talent to do so."
2023-02-07T12:01:47Z dg43tfdfdgfd