Mercedes' early-season struggles "like a ghost was in the car"

In the round-up: Lewis Hamilton described Mercedes’ early-season struggles to get on top of their W13 car as like having a “ghost” in the car

In brief

Mercedes’ early-season struggles “like a ghost was in the car” – Hamilton

Hamilton described Mercedes’ early-season struggles to get on top of their W13 car as like having a “ghost” in the car.

Mercedes began the year off the pace of rivals Red Bull and Ferrari but appeared to claw back ground by the Spanish Grand Prix in May. However, the team would continue to struggle to challenge for wins until eventually claiming a one-two victory in Brazil with George Russell, the team’s only win of the season.

“The first big step was Barcelona, that was our first hint of there being more potential in the car,” said Hamilton. “It turned out to be a bit of a false positive; the car was good there but then the races afterwards were difficult. It was like a ghost was in the car and it kept coming back.

“It’s been a very hard year for everyone. For me, it’s been challenging in ways that I wasn’t expecting, but I am incredibly grateful for that. I have felt more growth this year as a man, in terms of internal strength, than I have in many other years.”

Seidl hiring shows Audi are serious – Sainz Snr

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Audi Dakar racer Carlos Sainz Snr says Andreas Seidl’s move to Sauber shows “how serious” the manufacturer is about succeeding in F1. Seidl was announced as the new CEO of Sauber, whose team is currently branded by Alfa Romeo and will become the Audi works squad in 2026.

“Seidl is a guarantee for serious work and success, he triumphed with Porsche in Le Mans, he brought McLaren into shape,” Sainz told Speed Week. “Seidl has an excellent network within the group, he brings a lot of experience to his new job, he speaks German, everything fits together. His signing didn’t surprise me and it was logical.”

Edgar joins MP for 2023 FIA F3 season, Van Amersfoort signs Smith

Red Bull junior driver Jonny Edgar will race with MP Motorsport in next season’s FIA Formula 3 championship, the team has announced.

Edgar will compete in his third season in the premier F3 series in 2023, after two campaigns with Carlin and Trident. Edgar missed multiple rounds of this year’s championship for health reasons but still secured 12th place in the championship.

Van Amersfoort have also signed GB3 driver Tommy Smith to race with them in the championship in 2023. Smith finished 19th in the GB3 standings in 2022, taking one race victory at Spa-Francorchamps.

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Links

Motor racing links of interest:

Best of McLaren Unboxed 2022 (McLaren)

"With a new year on the horizon, we had to take a look back at some of the best behind-the-scenes moments from Lando and Daniel during the 2022 season."

Absorbing stats from IndyCar 2022 (Racer)

"Passing skyrocketed last season. In 2021, 3526 passes were registered. That number leapt to 5881 in 2022, making for a giant year-to-year increase (67%) and the highest amount of passes since IndyCar introduced its UAK18 aero kit in 2018."

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Felipe Drugovich’s title-winning season in his own words (Formula 2)

"Then there was all the talk about Formula 1 as well. I had to use that as a motivation because, I've been all this time with not many people looking at me, trying to bring me into F1. People are already looking after me at Aston Martin and I feel good about it, but during the season I had to use it as motivation in the last rounds in F2."

Guenther on life at Maserati MSG Racing, and that Valencia pace (Formula E)

"The whole team is fantastic, very professional. Everybody has got the same mindset and the same approach - we all just look for performance. It's very nice to find this and I can't wait to see what the future holds together."

Formula E CEO Says Manufacturers Leaving Led to 'Introspection' (Jalopnik)

"We’re young. We don’t have hundreds of years of history, so we can make those bold changes. We have to take time to lay new foundations. We have to force everyone to raise their game. And to me, that’s going to be the exciting thing to watch this year."

The 2022 F1 Drivers And Team Principals' Hilarious Studio Outtakes! (F1 via YouTube)

"It's always a laugh with this lot! Enjoy the studio outtakes with our 2023 grid and their Team Principals!"

W14 First Words: Firing Up Our 2023 Mercedes-AMG F1 Car! (Mercedes via YouTube)

"2023 Starts Here!"

Pierre Gasly & Yuki Tsunoda's Italian Christmas! (AlphaTauri via YouTube)

"Don't be upset, but it's the final video of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda together! So we set them a challenge all in the spirit of an Italian Christmas, and let their competitiveness rise for one last time!"

My Season in Pictures: Kevin Magnussen (Haas via YouTube)

"After making a shock return to the team in March, Kevin looks back over some of the most memorable moments of his entire F1 career, from the fifth place in his comeback race in Bahrain, to his maiden pole position in Brazil."

We always endeavour to credit original sources. If you have a tip for a link relating to single-seater motorsport to feature in the next RaceFans round-up please send it in via the contact form.

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Social media

Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:

🏎 x 🏒

Happy to have @LoganSargeant & @KKirkwoodRacing in the house tonight! pic.twitter.com/47OWWkqO5b

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) December 22, 2022

Making the most of the time off. 🙌 Lewis, George & Toto tell us their plans for the 2022 off-season… pic.twitter.com/8XGFlD7bUL

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 22, 2022

Alpine Christmas content incoming 🛬🎄 #Alpine pic.twitter.com/ZDj7BSjDZ5

— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) December 22, 2022

Reporting for simulator duty 🫡 #essereFerrari 🔴 @rigondavide @Anto_Fuoco pic.twitter.com/aqjBz1euMm

— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) December 22, 2022

Scuderia Ferrari's 2023 car launch teaser hints an updated branding identity as the main colour Scarlet Red (left) could be replaced by a deeper shade of red, akin to Cardinal Red (right).

Scarlet Red has been in use since 1997, when the team signed with PMI.#F1 #essereFerrari pic.twitter.com/jokKE8ypB7

— Decalspotters (@decalspotters) December 22, 2022

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