Hamilton was cruelly denied a record eighth drivers’ title when a controversial ruling gave Max Verstappen the opportunity to overtake the Brit on the final lap of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the Dutchman sealing his maiden championship.
Since that moment, Verstappen has dominated the sport and the Red Bull driver is well on his way to a third successive title, while Hamilton is without a win since the race that preceded the 2021 finale.
“On the 2021 thing, I’m not really a revenge person, it’s not about revenge, it’s not about redemption,” Hamilton said after the extension was announced on Thursday.
“That’s in the past, there’s nothing you can do about the past, but what we can do is work harder and be more precise and be better moving forwards.
“And I truly believe that with this team we can win more world championships and more races together, so that’s where all my energy is going.”
The introduction of new design regulations in 2022 caught Mercedes out, leaving the Silver Arrows well off the pace of Red Bull and Ferrari at the start of last year.
There was optimism Mercedes were closing the gap as they ended the campaign strongly, but 2023 has turned out to be even more dominant for Red Bull, who have won all 13 races and will have Verstappen going for a record 10th successive victory on Sunday.
Mercedes’ struggles led to speculation Hamilton could retire or seek a move elsewhere, with reports from Italy earlier this season having linked the 38-year-old with a blockbuster switch to Ferrari.
Hamilton says he has seen enough behind the scenes to convince him that the team, with whom he was won six of his seven titles, can return to contention.
“We’re trying to win more world championships,” he said. “The unfinished business is getting us back to the top, it’s getting back and fighting back for world championships.
“We’ve been the most successful team in history, the most successful run in the past 10 years, but it’s been a challenge this past year, so just getting us back to where we belong, and operating on all those cylinders, which we’re seeing Red Bull doing.
“It’s what you see, it’s not necessarily what someone says. It’s the work that you’re doing, it’s the meetings we’ve been having with all the engineers, with [technical director] James Allison and the whole group back at the factory – the heads of all the departments coming together and talking, and just really engaging better than ever before about where we are, the mistakes we’ve made, why we’ve made those decisions and why we won’t make them again, and where we’re going.
“And just all having that confidence in each other that we are the best at what we do, and that when we come together, given time, we will get to where we need to be.”
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