Lewis Hamilton has admitted to feeling "empty" in the midst of his long-running success with Mercedes.
Between 2014 and 2020 Hamilton was, for the most part, the main man on the grid. The only exception was in 2016, when his team-mate Nico Rosberg pipped him to the drivers' title on the final day before retiring from the sport.
Last year he was embroiled in a tight fight with Max Verstappen, which he eventually lost on the final lap in controversial circumstances. And this year's campaign was the least successful of his entire Formula 1 career – it did not yield a single victory for the seven-time world champion.
But despite not being able to perform at the level he wanted due to a less competitive car in 2022, Hamilton has declared that being forced to fight so hard for every point proved to be a refreshing experience. Explaining that feeling, he revealed that winning had lost its shine in the seasons where he was so dominant.
"I'm sure I've had seasons without a win before – it must have been in karting in 2001," he told Sport BILD. "We obviously wanted to fight for the world championship last season, but we had to face reality early in the season. Still, some results felt like victories when they weren't.
"We'd had so many hits before that it felt a little empty. We won, but that was expected. That's weird, because it's actually such a great thing. So it was all the nicer to see how happy we were about the small stages.
"We fought for fifth place and everyone was excited. Then it was a matter of fourth place and everyone was absolutely thrilled. It was a nice experience to be so happy with a fourth or fifth place. Also the feeling of fighting your way forward, of having first, third or second place – we're almost there. This is something we all needed.
"I appreciate achievements even more now. After the race in Brazil, when George [Russell, team-mate] won and I finished second, I was incredibly happy about this team effort." Looking ahead to 2023, Hamilton went on to say he feels positive that Mercedes can get back into a winning position.
He added: "I know how hard it is to be at the top and to stay there. We want to get back to the top! What gives us great hope is the end of this season. The last few races have shown a clear positive trend and proved that, with perseverance, we can achieve anything."
