He returned to the grid the next season both mentally frayed and with a porpoising car that was well off the pace.
Mercedes got their design concept wrong for too long and were too slow, or maybe even too stubborn, to rip it up and start all over again. It was enough for Hamilton to finally succumb to the long-term interest of Ferrari and agree to join the team for next season.
In recent weeks, Hamilton and his Mercedes had finally begun to look competitive, capped by a thrilling win for the 39-year-old at yesterday’s British Grand Prix — his ninth at Silverstone and 104th of his illustrious career coming 945 days after his last success.
Afterwards, he said: “The adversity we have gone through as a team and I have personally experienced, the constant challenge, like we all have, to get out of bed every day and give it your best shot.
“So many times when you feel like your best shot is not good enough, and the disappointment sometimes you can feel.
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