Lewis Hamilton said goodbye to his Mercedes team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend. While his final years at Brackley fell short of both sides’ expectations, they will forever have a unique bond.
Together, they broke all of the most significant records for a driver/team combination. Hamilton leaves with the most appearances, wins and championships for a single outfit.
It emerged in February that he’d signed an initial two-year contract to race for Ferrari from 2025. The agreement includes the option for a third season, but that will depend upon whether both parties are satisfied.
Hamilton knows when he’ll retire, but he hasn’t yet made his plans public. It’s conceivable that 2026 could be his final season on the grid.
Equally, though, it’s not out of the question that he signs another F1 contract, whether that’s with Ferrari or another team. Fellow world champions Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen moved to midfield squads (Aston Martin and Sauber respectively) before they walked away from the sport.
Fernando Alonso will race until he’s at least 45 after penning an Aston Martin extension earlier this year. Alonso is pursuing a third championship, nearly 20 years after his second, while Hamilton is chasing an unprecedented eighth.
Toto Wolff open to having Lewis Hamilton back at Mercedes when he leaves Ferrari
It’s unclear whether Hamilton will still be involved in F1 when he retires. He hasn’t expressed any notable interest in running a team or becoming a pundit, but few of the drivers have.
Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Toto Wolff said Hamilton could still be part of Mercedes’ future. He implicitly closed the door on a driving return after promoting 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli as George Russell’s teammate.
But Wolff hinted that there are other Mercedes ‘adventures’ that may appeal to Hamilton after his F1 career has concluded. The German manufacturer have powered all 18 of the cars he’s driven across 355 races.
“There is no such thing in an end to the relationship Mercedes has with Lewis, neither what we as a team have, nor I and Susie personally,” Wolff said. “I think Lewis has decided to do something else for the last part of his career, which I understand, but he’s always going to be part of that family, and always welcome in the family.
“One day, maybe when the driving ends, there’s going to be plenty of adventures we’re going to embark on.”
The hidden apology that could pave the way for Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes return
Hamilton’s time at Mercedes threatened to end on somewhat cold terms. Wolff refused to make Hamilton an ambassador, but offered the same role to Max Verstappen to try and coax him to the Silver Arrows.
Perhaps the Englishman will have the opportunity to take up that position once he departs Ferrari. But one could understand why he might have felt disrespected after his immense contribution to Mercedes’ success.
On the other hand, Hamilton may have upset certain colleagues by hinting that they were giving Russell preferential treatment in 2024. He never outright stated it, but also didn’t use his platform to dismiss the online speculation either.
Michael Schmidt says Hamilton subtly apologised to Mercedes ahead of his final race at Yas Marina. He admitted he’d shown ‘the worst’ side of himself in recent months and vowed to deal with adversity better going forward.
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