Lewis Hamilton 'rallying up' Mercedes with 'a lot of Zoom calls' to keep title bid alive

Lewis Hamilton isn't giving up on getting a title challenge going in 2022 despite a difficult start to the season. Hamilton, 37, left it late to confirm he would be driving in the new campaign following the controversial events of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December, which ultimately robbed him of an unprecedented eighth world title.

The British driver has since insisted he doesn't want to be defined by the events of the Yas Marina, and said he was still motivated by the opportunity to make history in the sport. However, he has struggled to make an impact in the first three Grand Prix races, with Mercedes finding it tough to get to grips with the new technical regulations that have been introduced into the sport.

Hamilton did notch a fortuitous podium finish in the opening race in Bahrain, after both Red Bull drivers retired in the closing stages. However, disaster struck in qualifying in Saudi Arabia, when he was eliminated in Q1 before ending up 10th in the Grand Prix.

In Australia, the Silver Arrows remained off the pace, with Hamilton crossing the line in fourth place, again benefiting from Max Verstappen failing to finish. The result left him fifth in the standings on 28 points and his team second in the constructors' race - but the gap in pace to Ferrari and Red Bull remains sizeable.

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The next race is the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on April 24, and Hamilton says he'll be taking to Zoom between now and then to address the current problems: "There's a lot of work, and there'll be a lot of calls, naturally," he said.

"I'm on a lot of Zoom calls with all the sponsors and our bosses, really trying to rally them up. We've got some improvements