Lewis Hamilton ended his partnership with Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in an emotional farewell after winning six world championships with the team.
The seven-time world champion drove superbly to recover from a bad qualifying to finish in fourth place for Mercedes at a track he’s won at five times in the past.
He holds the record for the most wins at the Yas Marina Circuit and passed his teammate George Russell around the outside at Turn 9 on the last lap after starting in 16th place.
Former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle was impressed with Hamilton’s comeback at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a tricky start to the weekend.
Hamilton is moving to Ferrari for next season alongside Charles Leclerc after three lacklustre years to end his stint at Mercedes, failing to fight for victories consistently.
The Italian team should provide a new challenge for the 39-year-old as Ferrari pushed for the Constructors’ Championship against McLaren.
They just missed out on the title, but Ferrari’s consistency and speed across a range of tracks may allow Hamilton to compete for race wins and the title if they keep up the good form.
James Allen explained that Hamilton is incredibly quick over a race distance but may have some concerns about partnering with his new teammate.
Lewis Hamilton may ‘worry’ about his performance in qualifying at Ferrari
Hamilton has been blisteringly fast in qualifying in his career and is the most successful driver over a single lap with 104 pole positions.
Russell has comfortably beaten the British driver in qualifying 19-5 over the year as Hamilton suffered some difficult weekends.
READ MORE: Martin Brundle issues ‘vintage’ verdict on Lewis Hamilton’s final race for Mercedes in Abu Dhabi
This is very uncharacteristic, and Allen explained while speaking on TalkSPORT that Hamilton may be worried about his speed over a single lap.
He said: “What will worry Lewis a little bit is his performance in qualifying because compared to his teammate George Russell he really dropped off and particularly in the second half of the season but his race performances are still out there with the very best of them.
“I don’t think there’s anybody who is faster over a 300km race distance than Lewis Hamilton, but if he’s going to be matching up with Charles Leclerc next year and not be starting behind him on the grid more often than not, he’s got to find a way to unlock that single lap speed again.”
Leclerc is quick over a single lap and has extracted the maximum from his car many times. He is particularly fast on street circuits, such as in Monaco and Azerbaijan, where he took pole position this year.
The Ferrari driver is very quick but may need to refine his approach when on the limit. He made a costly error in Austria, which cost Leclerc a chance to take a place on the front row.
It may take time for Lewis Hamilton to adjust to Ferrari
Ferrari is a unique team on the grid from the passion shown by the mechanics to the added pressure that comes with the brand.
Some drivers, such as Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso, hit the ground running at Ferrari by winning their first race although Hamilton may struggle more.
The British driver has been quick over a race distance, but the cultural differences may be a shock after spending his entire career so far with teams based in England.
If Hamilton can hit the ground running, he will certainly be very competitive, and there will likely be extra motivation to clinch a record-breaking eighth world championship.
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