Lewis Hamilton has opened up about his recent experience at Mercedes highlighting the ‘pain’ during their performance struggles.

The seven-time world champion earned six of his world titles with Mercedes, a streak of success that came to an end at the hands of Max Verstappen.

The pair were locked in an intense rivalry throughout the 2021 season, which culminated in a controversial last lap of racing in Abu Dhabi, awarding the Dutchman his first world title.

Since the 2022 regulation changes, Mercedes have fallen behind their Red Bull rivals, with Hamilton enduring 56 races without a race victory – the longest of his career.

When will Lewis Hamilton leave Mercedes?

Hamilton’s woes persisted into the 2024, consistently bemoaning the pace of the W15 and labelling the first part of the season as his ‘worst ever’.

Whilst Mercedes have improved in recent races, with Hamilton claiming a victory at Silverstone and Spa, the 39-year-old will depart for Ferrari in 2025.

In a recent interview with Esquire, Hamilton discussed his struggles at Mercedes, and revealed the ‘pain’ of their performance after his championship success.

“It’s been mostly a battle of the mind. Keeping yourself sane, trying to pick up new tools,” he said.

“Ultimately, it always comes back to persistence and dedication. Hard work. It always does eventually pay off.

“I think I learned that life is really about how much pain you can experience and keep going, and how much you can suffer and keep moving forward, you know?

“And that’s life, right? It’s not how you fall; it’s how you get up. It’s how you continue to apply yourself every single day. It’s how you connect with people that you work with.

“I probably learned to be a better teammate in this period of time, because we’ve had more time to focus on communication.”