Lewis Hamilton has contested his final race with Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, ahead of his highly anticipated move to Ferrari in 2025.
The F1 world was taken by surprise when the news of Hamilton’s switch came through at the beginning of February, especially after he claimed that he would see out his career at Mercedes.
Hamilton had already put to rest any speculation that he would be joining Ferrari in summer of 2023, when he signed a contract extension that would see him at the squad through to 2025.
Over the winter break, he activated a performance clause in his Mercedes contract and it was duly announced that Hamilton would be joining Ferrari in what many anticipate will be the swansong in his glittering F1 career as he attempts to win an eighth title.
Chief communications officer Bradley Lord said Mercedes was ‘surprised’ by the timing of Hamilton’s announcement, given they only recently signed the extension.
The seven-time World Champion paid tribute to his team when speaking to Sky Sports F1, which contained some memories from their 11-year partnership.
Lewis Hamilton sends ‘all the love’ to Mercedes in social media post
Hamilton finished P4 in his final race with the team at the Yas Marina Circuit, after closing down a 14-second gap and overtaking George Russell on the final lap.
Despite not always having a car that could challenge for race wins, Hamilton paid tribute to their partnership in a heartfelt message.
“I think when he said it was really hammer time, I did notice in the moment ‘That’s the last time I’m going to hear that’ and it really clicked for me in that moment,” said Hamilton.
“It’s been a really hard race. I didn’t get as great a start and the first stint was really difficult. It wasn’t going as well as I thought it would, but I didn’t give up and thought ‘come on, we can still do it’ and switched onto a different tyre and kept it alive.
“I had a massive gap to close, so was just focused on getting everything out of the car, not giving up and giving every ounce to the team like they have given to me all these years.
Hamilton also delivered a message to his team during the cool-down lap of the race: “We dreamed alone. But together we believed. Thank you for all the courage, determination and passion for seeing me and supporting me. What started out as a leap of faith turned into a journey into the history books.”
Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes career in the numbers
The Hamilton and Mercedes partnership has been one of the most successful in modern F1, having yielded six Drivers’ Championships and seven Constructors’ titles.
At least 80% of his record 105 wins have come behind the wheel of a Mercedes, while he also achieved 78 of his 104 poles with the team.
| Stat | Number |
| Drivers’ World Championships | 6 |
| Constructors’ World Championships | 7 |
| Race wins | 84 |
| Poles | 78 |
| Starts | 245 |
| Wins at the same track (Silverstone) | 9 |
Hamilton also set the record in F1 for most wins with the same Constructor at 84 victories for Mercedes, while he also has the most wins at the same Grand Prix having won the British GP at Silverstone a record ninth time this year – technically Mercedes home circuit.
Having achieved 245 starts for Mercedes, it will go down as one of the most iconic driver and team combinations of all time.
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