This weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marks not simply the top of the 2024 Components 1 season, but additionally a number of closing chapters within the sport. Drivers similar to Kevin Magnussen, Zhou Guanyu, and Valtteri Bottas can be leaving full-time spots on the grid, whereas Carlos Sainz Jr.’s time with Ferrari will draw to an in depth. Esteban Ocon is leaving Alpine for Haas, and Nico Hülkenberg is leaving Haas to drive for Sauber in 2025.
Then there may be the largest departure of all: Lewis Hamilton’s stunning transfer from Mercedes to Ferrari for the following season.
That transfer brings to an in depth the most efficient partnership in F1 historical past between a workforce and a driver, and talking on the FIA Press Convention on Thursday forward of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton admitted that it has been a tough 12 months, beginning with the preliminary announcement again in February.
“I imply, the primary assembly with Toto [Wolff] originally of the 12 months was awkward, after all. So it was awkward from the get-go, to the day after after I took among the workforce paintballing,” started Hamilton. “They usually had simply came upon. So I imply, there’s been a great deal of moments by means of the 12 months… Yeah, I obtained plenty of pictures from individuals, yeah, a great deal of bruises. Yeah, individuals went in on me that day!
“I feel in the end I anticipated it might be tough, however massively underestimated how tough it might be. And it was straining on the connection very early on, took time for individuals to get previous it. After which only for my very own self, it’s been a really emotional 12 months for me,” added Hamilton. “And I feel I’ve not been at my finest in dealing with and coping with these feelings.
“And I feel this 12 months, and so a lot of you’ve been right here my entire profession, so a few of you, I feel, you’ve all seen the worst of me and seen one of the best of me and I’m not going to apologise for both as a result of I’m solely human and I don’t all the time get it proper, and I might positively would say this 12 months’s been one of many worst by way of dealing with that from my facet, which I’ll work on attempting to be higher at.”
Hamilton then modified gears a bit throughout his remarks.
“However I hope the great and the highs far outweigh the negatives and the way I’ve dealt with it or behaved. And as I stated, I simply bear in mind the great instances, you realize. I’ve constructed some unimaginable relationships. We’ve gone by means of. In the event you think about, while you’re going while you’re going by means of a season along with so many individuals, you realize, not solely on these race weekends the place you’re driving the highs and lows collectively, however of their private lives, by means of marriages, by means of divorces, by means of lack of relations, by means of most cancers, by means of all types. You’re going by means of these journeys with these individuals,” described the legendary driver. “So it’s a extremely lovely journey you go on collectively. And being that it was so lengthy, the feelings run so deep.”
Requested about his feelings heading into his closing race with Mercedes, Hamilton said that he was feeling “calm,” and searching ahead to ending on a optimistic observe.
“Fairly calm in the mean time. Feeling optimistic and excited simply to offer all of it this weekend. Each second, like by means of the 12 months, it’s been, you realize, each single race has been clearly the final time I’ll race and be in that particular place with the workforce and I feel right this moment, already from just like the briefings that we’ve had, like, you’re sitting there and also you’re realising these are the final moments with the workforce, which is… It’s arduous to explain the sensation,” added Hamilton. “It’s not the best, after all, however I feel largely I’m simply actually pleased with what we’ve achieved. And I’ve a lot pleasure on this workforce.”
When requested about what his lasting reminiscence can be of his time at Mercedes, Hamilton had a captivating reply.
The grins.
“I feel it’s the grins, after we’ve had the success. I feel it’s these moments,” Hamilton stated. “Like I bear in mind one specific engineer, for instance, I bear in mind our first win in Australia in 2014, I feel it was Australia, and I simply bear in mind him being in tears after we had been on the rostrum. It’s these moments that I take with me. It’s the feelings that we had in Silverstone this 12 months. It’s all the great bits. Naturally, you largely bear in mind the great bits.
“And I feel it’s simply the… I’m simply extremely proud, but additionally simply so grateful to each single particular person, each which might be right here on the monitor, but additionally again on the manufacturing unit which have simply labored tirelessly and, you realize, been supporting me for all these years from day one.”
Hamilton’s closing race with Mercedes will get underway in earnest tomorrow with two follow periods, forward of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
