Lewis Hamilton’s final race for Mercedes after an 11-year association was an emotional spectacle at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
It didn’t come without stress though, as a furious Toto Wolff angrily yelled after Hamilton’s Q1 exit in Abu Dhabi.
His Mercedes team sent him out into traffic, which caught up with him when a bollard hit by Kevin Magnussen got stuck under his car and cost him the time he needed to progress further.
Martin Brundle praised Hamilton’s vintage performance on Sunday though, as he swept through the pack to claim an unlikely fourth place.
It included a spectacular final lap overtake on teammate George Russell to claim victory in their overall head-to-head across three seasons together.
Ahead of a move to Ferrari, it was the perfect reminder that a Hamilton who faced braking issues in 2024, can still deliver a spectacular performance.
Toto Wolff ‘lost control’ over Lewis Hamilton error because it was last Mercedes race
Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff can hold onto hope that Hamilton will return to Mercedes after Ferrari one day, but for now, they must say goodbye to one another.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix didn’t quite go the way they would have hoped, with a podium left on the table following their poor qualifying.
But his fiery reaction to the chaos in the garage underlined just how much sending his star driver off on a positive note meant to him.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton told why he didn’t deserve Mercedes ‘pity party’ after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Speaking on Champ1’s YouTube channel, Guenther Steiner said that his reaction will have been as a result of wanting to do well in the last race.
“I believe that the last race, I personally think it was leggy and that’s why he just lost control. But I think that can happen to anyone,” he said.
“I can’t say you shouldn’t lose control. He learned from me. I would have to thank me for that, exactly why I haven’t received a WhatsApp yet [I don’t know].”
How will Lewis Hamilton fare against Charles Leclerc at Ferrari in 2025?
Nico Rosberg thinks Hamilton will be worried about joining Ferrari, with fears that his lack of qualifying form is unfixable.
The Brit was firmly beaten 24-6 by Russell across sprints and normal weekends by his teammate, suggesting that his better days may be behind him.
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton will never be ‘best friends’ with 22-pole position F1 rival due to personality clash
His assignment doesn’t get any easier for 2025 either, with Charles Leclerc widely known as one of, if not the best qualifier on the grid.
As we saw at races such as the Las Vegas Grand Prix, leaving too much work to do on a Sunday could cost him victories and podiums – which in a championship fight will not be ideal.
That isn’t to say that he has to deliver to the level of a Max Verstappen, but he does need to find a small improvement in speed and consistency on a Saturday over the winter to ensure he is competitive next year.
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