Lewis Hamilton admits fighting the midfield more exciting than leading from the front

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton made the surprise admission that he finds the 'midfield battles' in which he currently finds himself "a thousand times more enjoyable" than dominating at the front of Formula 1 races.

Having dominated F1 over seven years, the Mercedes team and Hamilton (for the first time) find themselves struggling to match Red Bull and Ferrari at the front of the grid. Instead, they are battling with Alpine, Alfa Romeo, McLaren, Haas and Alpha Tauri for places behind the 'domineering twosome'.

So far, this F1 season, seven-time world champion Hamilton and Mercedes are yet to win a race, and during last weekend's Italian Grand Prix, the British driver suffered a back-of-the-grid penalty for an engine change that left him fighting his way through the field to finish fifth eventually.

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Enjoying the uphill battles

In an interview after the race at Monza, Hamilton was asked if he had enjoyed battling up-field rather than a lights-to-flag win that he had become accustomed to during the Mercedes dominance between 2014 and 2021, to which he replied: "A thousand times more enjoyable.

"I remember when I started, my first go-kart was an old kart. It was all bent and buckled, and we always had to start at the back with old tyres, and that's what I've always enjoyed doing," Hamilton said.

"So, starting having those battles, it's way more fun than starting first, for example and pulling away.

"It's a different challenge, but I much prefer battling with people."

During the Monza race, Hamilton produced an exciting double-overtake of McLaren's Lando Norris and AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly and admitted he had enjoyed himself and was