The seven-time champion has undergone a challenging two years with the Mercedes squad, which has found itself unable to regularly match the pace of the dominant Red Bull outfit.
Those competitive struggles have also come straight off the back of the controversy from the end of 2021, where the FIA’s mishandling of a safety car restart at that year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ultimately cost Hamilton the world title.
Hamilton interview: How Mercedes lost and found its Northern Star in 2023
And while Hamilton has committed himself to helping Mercedes get back to the front of F1 with a new contract that keeps him committed until the end of 2025, he has confessed about there being times when he questioned his own performances.
Speaking to selected media including Autosport about having moments of doubts amid recent difficulties, Hamilton said: “Of course. I’m only human. If anyone in the world tells you they don’t have those things they’re in denial. We’re all human beings.”
Although Hamilton is currently experiencing his longest victory drought in F1, having not stood on top of the podium since the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix, he says that too much is made of statistics and views the current challenges with Mercedes as similar to the difficulties he has faced at earlier times in his career.
Asked about the significance of being without a win for two years, he said: “I think that’s a misconception. When I was younger, I had bad years when I was a kid.
“In 2009, the car was horrendous. We did have a win through the year because we had a second upgrade in the season.
Source: Autosport