ABU DHABI — Lewis Hamilton ranks his 2022 season among the many worst three of his profession, however says he isn’t overly involved about lacking out on a race victory this 12 months.

The seven-time champion recorded his worst ever place within the driver standings after ending sixth, 35 factors adrift of teammate George Russell.

This 12 months’s Mercedes automotive, which gained the Brazilian Grand Prix within the arms of Russell, struggled for efficiency from the opening spherical of the season and solely regarded genuinely aggressive at a handful of races.

The 2022 season was additionally the primary of Hamilton’s 16-year profession during which he didn’t win a grand prix.

Regardless of the statistics, Hamilton mentioned the 2011 season, during which he broke up together with his long-term girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger and fell out together with his father Anthony, who had been managing his profession to that time, was worse.

“I feel 2011 was in all probability the toughest 12 months I had, simply by way of life,” he mentioned. “This 12 months will not be the best, it’s up there with in all probability the highest three of the worst seasons, nevertheless it’s been a a lot stronger 12 months by way of myself, by way of the way it labored with the group, how we have all stayed united. So I feel there’s been a lot of pluses.”

Requested if he was upset to interrupt his document of successful a race each season, Hamilton added: “Actually, it might have been good to have a win, however one win will not be actually sufficient is it?

“So I really feel like this 12 months, once we acquired our first fifth, it felt like a win. Once we acquired our first fourth, it felt like a win.

“Once we acquired our first podium, it felt like a win and people seconds felt like as if we actually achieved one thing, so I am going to simply maintain on to these.”