Lewis Hamilton is reflecting on his “amazing journey” and the most successful partnership in Formula 1 history as he prepares to say goodbye to Mercedes this week and join Ferrari.
This move marks a fresh start for the 39-year-old Hamilton, who has faced a tough end to his final season with Mercedes. Ferrari’s goal next year will be to help him return to his best form.
“I don’t think we’re going to end up on a high,” Hamilton said after finishing 12th in Qatar, where he dealt with penalties, a puncture, and even asked Mercedes if he could retire the car. Two days before, he mentioned he was “definitely not fast any more” after struggling in qualifying.
Hamilton’s last race for Mercedes will be the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday, ending a 12-year tenure with the team. He won six of his seven world titles with Mercedes, the most by any driver with a single team.
As one of F1’s all-time greats and the sport’s only Black driver, Hamilton’s impact reaches far beyond racing.
In February, Hamilton shocked the F1 world by announcing he would join Ferrari in 2025 — a decision he even kept hidden from his parents. This move has overshadowed his final season with Mercedes.
“I’ve had all year to think about it, so there’s been those highs and lows through the year. I can’t predict how I’m going to feel next Sunday after the race, or the days to follow, or at Christmas time,” Hamilton said last week.
He expressed that he would miss the “family” atmosphere at Mercedes, leaving with fond memories, especially of Niki Lauda, the former F1 champion who played a crucial role in bringing him to the team and passed away in 2019.
“There’s many, many great moments. Moments with Niki, amazing conversations, arguments,” Hamilton said. “It’s been an amazing journey together, one that I’ve genuinely loved.”
Hamilton also recalled a moment from 2013, when he first switched teams, and he found it hard to stay away from his old team. He remembered mistakenly driving into McLaren’s pit during the Malaysian Grand Prix, just his second race after moving to Mercedes.
“When I joined this team, it was strange driving past my old team in the pit lane, to the point that I stopped at theirs at one point,” he said.
After securing an emotional victory at his home British Grand Prix in July, ending a 945-day wait for a win, Hamilton also claimed a victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, but his teammate George Russell was disqualified. Since then, Hamilton has finished behind Russell in 10 of the last 12 races, including sprints.
Qualifying has been Hamilton’s biggest challenge, making it difficult to compete for wins.
“When you’re always back where I am (on the grid), it makes it very hard, almost impossible, to be competing for wins,” he said.
Hamilton will miss the opportunity to drive for Ferrari this year in a post-season test after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as his contract with Mercedes prevents it. However, he didn’t feel excited about starting his Ferrari career that way.
It’s likely that Hamilton will test a Ferrari car at their Fiorano track early next year.
“I know (Ferrari team principal) Fred (Vasseur) wanted it to happen. For me, I was in two minds. Driving the red car for the first time in Abu Dhabi does not excite me. In a perfect world, you’d get to drive and not be seen and do the first rollout next year,” he said. “Am I missing out on something? For sure.”
