Mercedes posted a special birthday message for Lewis Hamilton with a slight twist, as he turns 40 on Tuesday.

Hamilton is no longer a Mercedes driver as of a week ago, having officially made the move to Ferrari at the turn of the new year, but his former team still marked his birthday nonetheless.

Mercedes wish Lewis Hamilton a happy birthday, in Italian

Hamilton celebrates his 40th birthday on Tuesday as the most statistically successful Formula 1 driver of all time, and the majority of his success to date has come as a Mercedes driver.

But knowing he has now made the move to the Scuderia next season, the Silver Arrows marked the moment instead of wishing him a happy birthday, by posting “Buon compleanno” on social media instead, accompanied by Hamilton celebrating victory at the British Grand Prix.

He has headed away from Mercedes with the best wishes of the team, as he fulfils a long-held ambition of driving for Ferrari, though it will be a new experience, having driven with Mercedes power for the entirety of his Formula 1 career.

Buon compleanno @LewisHamilton 🎂🥳 pic.twitter.com/y1EfhPZLdA

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) January 7, 2025

More on Lewis Hamilton as he turns 40

👉 Lewis Hamilton at 40: How much do you know about the seven-time F1 champion?

👉 Ranked: Lewis Hamilton’s 10 best victories over his staggering career (so far)

Hamilton toured several key Mercedes sites after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as he said his farewells to the team, taking in stops in Kuala Lumpur and Stuttgart before returning to the team’s factories at Brackley and Brixworth.

Team principal Toto Wolff said how happy he is to have been along for the ride, with the Mercedes boss having been at the helm throughout the Briton’s time at the team.

“The name Lewis Hamilton will stand for a long time as the greatest,” said Wolff.

“I will be telling my grandchildren to be proud because I was part of Lewis Hamilton’s journey. And that’s something we all can be very proud of.

“For [however] many years you’ve been here, whether it was a month or 12 years like I have been, I think Niki [Lauda, three-time World Champion and former Mercedes non-executive chairman] would have taken his cap up, because this journey with you, we need to all pinch ourselves that we were part of your journey with Mercedes.”

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