Mercedes confident of providing Lewis Hamilton winning car after forgettable 2022 season

Mercedes revealed they have started contract negotiations with Lewis Hamilton and are determined to give the seasoned driver a winning car when the new season begins next month.

Hamilton, winner of 103 grands prix, turned 38 in January and will be starting his 11th season at Mercedes in March.

Team boss Toto Wolff, speaking at the launch of the team's new W14 car at Silverstone, insisted that he and Hamilton, whose current contract expires at the end of 2023, were in no hurry to put pen to paper.

Mercedes last year had their run of eight consecutive world titles snapped and seven-time champion Hamilton went winless for the first time in a season. George Russell scored Mercedes’ only victory.

Hamilton saw his record of winning at least one race in every season of his career – a run extending back to his debut campaign for McLaren in 2007 – end in 2022 when he finished a huge 214 points adrift of champion Max Verstappen and behind Russell, who came fourth.

However, the struggles won’t be a deterrent in Hamilton’s contract negotiations, Wolff said.

“I don’t think it plays into Lewis’s mind any doubts that we will perform. We will. Eventually,” said Wolff, who reiterated, “we will be competitive. We don’t know when.”

Red Bull's new RB19 car for the 2023 F1 season was unveiled in New York earlier this month. AP

"We've had a first chat but I don't want to commit to any timeline because it's not important for him nor for us ... it runs a full year and we're going to find the right time," Wolff added.

Wolff batted away a question about age and durability, with Hamilton the second oldest driver on the starting grid after Aston Martin's 41-year-old double champion Fernando Alonso.

“I think the age 38 plays no role for this next