Lewis Hamilton is convinced that Mercedes will return to the top of the pyramid in Formula 1 and insists that his next victory with the Brackley squad will be the "greatest triumph" in his career.
After a remarkable eight-year period of success, the going got tough for Mercedes last season, the first year of F1's ground effect regulations.
A failed concept and misguided engineering choices weighed heavily on the team's results in 2022, striking it down to third in F1's Constructors' standings behind Red Bull and Ferrari.
This year, the German outfit still wasn't able to challenge its Red Bull rival, while Ferrari – courtesy of Carlos Sainz – had the privilege of defeating the Milton Keynes-based outfit in Singapore last month.
But Mercedes is determined to turn around its fortunes in 2024 with the help of an all-new W15 design and take the fight to the bulls.
And Hamilton intends to be there on the top step of the podium when his team finally returns to the winners' circle.
"We’ll be coming back. We can do it," the seven-time world champion told Swiss daily Blick. "The next step to the top podium will come. And it will probably be my greatest triumph in my career."
Mercedes' only win in F1 in the past 38 races, or since the start of its 2022 campaign, came in Brazil last year where George Russell claimed his maiden Grand Prix victory.
©Mercedes
As for Hamilton, the Briton's most recent victory was recorded at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah in 2021.
Needless to say, the Mercedes charger's dry spell has challenged his motivation, but despite the struggles, Hamilton has been able to uphold his ambitions with the help of his team which is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to return to the front of the grid in 2024.
"I try to push myself to the limit in every race and believe in my team," he said. "But it’s true: If you don’t feel the balance in the car, your willingness to take risks becomes smaller.
"I hope that the amount of data we have collected so far this year will have an impact on the new car. That is the hope of the entire Mercedes team in all factories.
"We all have to always believe in our goals. And never give up."
Next year, Hamilton will hopefully be chasing a record eighth title that would put him in a league of his own among F1's legends. But the 38-year-old isn't considering that milestone achievement as an end in itself to his career.
"I never said that the eighth title was a stop signal for me," he said. "But I’ll only know that when I actually get there."
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