F1 News: Mercedes Claims Winning Is "A Core Part" Of Lewis Hamilton Ahead of W15 Launch

All responsibility lies on the part of Mercedes to give him a championship-winning car.

Mercedes Technical Director James Allison suggested that Lewis Hamilton has been firing on all cylinders for the upcoming Formula 1 season since winning is "a core part" of the seven-time world champion. Thus, it is now up to the Mercedes development team to develop the W15 F1 car up to the winning level.

Alongside Michael Schumacher, Hamilton is the only F1 driver to have secured seven championship titles under his name. However, his winning streak ended in 2021, just as the ground effect era set in, allowing rival team Red Bull to dominate the standings.

The British driver won his last race 46 Grands Prix ago during the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Moreover, not only 2022 but even 2023 went without a race win. But he hasn't lost the determination or motivation to win a championship again, and Allison revealed that it is now up to the team to hand him a potent car. 

The team throttles ahead in top gear over the winter break to develop the W15, which is reported to be entirely new. Speaking to Motorsport.com, Allison said:

"I think you would struggle to find a driver anywhere in the grid that wasn't motivated.

"I think that sort of comes with the territory, and generally speaking, the more successful the driver has been, the more sort of inescapable that compulsive need to win is.

“In Lewis's case, it's just a core part of who he is, so there's no doubt about his motivation to get back to winning ways.

"But whether or not he can do that, will be much more in the hands of the equipment we've given him than in his own hands. He's always had that ability there."

Mercedes is scheduled to reveal its 2024 championship contender on February 14, 2024. The pressing question on many minds is whether Mercedes can mount a challenge against Red Bull for the top spot.