Lewis Hamilton experienced his last race with Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton shared an emotional moment during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, realizing that his journey with Mercedes was coming to an end.
After an impressive climb from 16th position to 4th place, Lewis Hamilton reflected on what this last race meant to him.
The seven-time World Champion was experiencing his 246th and final appearance with Mercedes. This team allowed him to win six of his seven world titles before his planned departure to Ferrari in 2025. However, Lewis Hamilton put aside the disappointment of his third elimination in Q1 in six races, delivering a superb performance in the race.
Using an alternative strategy, switching from hard tires to medium tires, he climbed the ranks, culminating with a spectacular overtaking, on the last lap on his teammate George Russell, in turn 9.
After the race, he revealed that hearing his engineer Pete « Bono » Bonnington say ‘It’s Hammer Time’ for the last time made that moment even more poignant. “When [Bono] said ‘Hammer Time’, I realized that it was the last time I would hear that,” Hamilton said. “It really struck me at that moment. But it was a very difficult race, naturally, considering where I started on the grid.”
A beautiful last race
« The first relay was really, really difficult. I didn’t give up, but I was thinking to myself: ‘Oh, it’s not going as well as I hoped.’ But I didn’t throw in the towel, I kept pushing. Once on the [medium tires], the car came alive. I still had a huge gap to fill, so I focused on extracting absolutely everything from the car. »
After celebrating with donuts on the grid, Lewis Hamilton knelt down next to his Mercedes W15. He explained his thoughts at that moment: « I think it was just to savor the last moment when I was in the cockpit of a Mercedes. I reflected on the whole story, all my races, all the success we have had together. It was for me the opportunity to contemplate how incredible this journey has been. »
What started as a leap of faith turned into a historic journey !!! It’s been real, I love you all ✌🏾 pic.twitter.com/ZrPKmEAzyG
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) December 8, 2024
While talking about his departure, he added: “They are going to miss me so much, I can’t even tell you how much. I have been working with them every day for 12 years. There is a lot of love in this team, and it won’t disappear.”
Lewis Hamilton is now preparing to join Ferrari in 2025 alongside Charles Leclerc, while the young Andrea Kimi Antonelli, 18 years old, will take his place at Mercedes.
