Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes after this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. And when he does so, he’ll bring to an end the most successful driver-engineer partnership in F1 history.
Peter Bonnington has been the voice on Hamilton’s team radio ever since he made his Mercedes debut in 2013. Over the past 12 seasons, they have won six world championships and 84 races – both F1 records.
Bonnington previously worked with Jenson Button (later Hamilton’s McLaren teammate) at the Brawn GP team in 2009. After Mercedes’ takeover, he spent three years supporting the great Michael Schumacher in his F1 comeback.
But he’s been best known for his role alongside Hamilton. They delivered the title in 2014 and 2015 before a run of four in a row between 2017 and 2020.
Despite some initial speculation, Bonnington won’t accompany Hamilton to Ferrari. Instead, he’s signed a new deal and received a promotion at Mercedes, where he’ll try to develop emerging superstar Kimi Antonelli next year.
How Peter Bonnington congratulated Lewis Hamilton after his first title with Mercedes
Hamilton sealed his first championship with Mercedes, and his second overall, at the 2014 Abu Dhabi GP. The short-lived double points rule injected jeopardy, but his victory, combined with Nico Rosberg’s retirement, secured a comfortable triumph in the end.
In the moments after the chequered flag, Bonnington said: “Get in there Lewis! 11 race wins. 2014 world champion.”
‘Get in there Lewis’ became something of a catchphrase for the engineer, second only to ‘it’s Hammer time’. He would use the phrase when he wanted his driver to unleash all the speed he had in the car, rather than protect the tyres.
It was first heard during the 2014 Austrian GP, a race that was ultimately won by Nico Rosberg. It’s rarely been aired during his final years with the team.
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On the more farcical end of the scale, many will remember the confusion over the radio at the 2018 German GP. Bonnington and Mercedes repeatedly changed their mind over whether their driver should pit, prompting him to cut across the entry.
“So box, box, box, box,” he said. “No stay, stay out! In in in in in in in in in in in in. Yeah no, sorry mate. Just go, go. Staying out, staying out.”
Hamilton went on to claim one of his great F1 wins from 14th on the grid. He escaped with a reprimand for the pit lane breach.
What ‘Bono’ said to Lewis Hamilton after emotional British Grand Prix win
The Englishman’s last Mercedes title came in 2020, and he sealed it with a masterful display at a greasy Istanbul Park. While others lost time pitting for fresh tyres, Hamilton wore his intermediates down to their scalp and found a fresh burst of grip.
“Get in there Lewis,” Bonnington said as Hamilton equalled Schumacher’s all-time record. “What a way to do it mate. What a way to win your seventh world title. Mate, you have got to be proud of that. What an awesome drive.”
After the heartbreaking conclusion to the 2021 season, Hamilton would go two and a half years without a race win – the longest drought of his career. But in fairytale fashion, he ended that run at his home race in Silverstone as he and Bonnington mastered the wet/dry conditions.
“Get in there Lewis!” ‘Bono’ said once again. “You the man! You the man! Oh mate, I have been waiting for this! Jeez!”
Logically, one would expect Hamilton to work with Carlos Sainz’s engineer Riccardo Adami at Ferrari next year. But Fred Vasseur surprised Ted Kravitz by indicating that a decision had yet to be made.
