Autosport quoted him as saying:
While the 2022 F1 season will go down in history as one of the most challenging seasons for the Mercedes crew, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku will take a particular hold of that. Not only was it difficult for drivers to battle other cars on the streets with that car, but they also suffered significant physical discomfort due to car issues.
The W13’s porpoising issue made it jump violently up and down on straights. With Baku featuring one of the fastest and longest straights on the calendar, Lewis Hamilton was heard complaining multiple times during the race that it was hurting him to drive the car. Right after the race, he even had difficulty getting out of the car as a result of all the back pain he had to endure.
While the cars pulled themselves to P4 and P3, with George Russell taking the podium position, it was only possible because both the Ferraris were out of the race, and no one else on the grid could compete with Mercedes.
Mercedes hopeful for 2023 as Andrew Shovlin believes the worst is over
Andrew Shovlin believes that the 2022 F1 season was the worst the team had to face. He is, however, confident that the team has moved on from it and will return in the 2023 season as championship contenders. He also stated that Lewis Hamilton’s experience was essential in facing a challenging year like 2022, saying:
Hamilton, too, earlier expressed his confidence about Mercedes’ return in the upcoming season. He also believes that there will be not two but three teams fighting each other for the championship: Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes themselves. He also believes that if McLaren can develop well, it could become a four-way battle.
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