Lewis Hamilton recalls an “incredible journey” and the most successful partnership in Formula 1 history as he prepares to say goodbye to Mercedes this week and join Ferrari. The signing marks a new start for Hamilton, 39, who had a difficult end to his last season at Mercedes.
Ferrari’s first task next year could be a return to form. «I never thought we would end up on top.“Hamilton said on Sunday after finishing 12th in Qatar in another difficult race in which he suffered penalties, a puncture and even asked Mercedes for permission to retire the car.
Two days earlier, he said he was “not fast enough” after again having trouble in qualifying.. Hamilton’s final race at Mercedes, Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, will end 12 years with the team.
He won six of his seven world titles with Mercedes, the most by an F1 driver with the same team.. As an all-time great driver and the sport’s only black driver, Hamilton’s influence extends far beyond the F1 grid. Hamilton rocked F1 with the surprise announcement in February that he would join Ferrari in 2025. – a decision he even kept a secret from his parents – and the prospect of leaving Mercedes has cast a shadow over this season.
«I thought about it all year, so there were ups and downs throughout the year. “I can’t predict how I’ll feel next Sunday after the race, or the days after, or Christmas,” Hamilton said last week.
Hamilton said he will miss the “family” atmosphere of Mercedes and that he will leave with warm memories, including those of Niki Lauda, the former F1 champion who played an important role in his arrival at the team and who died in 2019. «Many, many great moments. Moments with Niki, amazing conversations, discussions,” said Hamilton. «It’s been an incredible journey together».
The last time Hamilton changed teams, he struggled to stay away from his former boss.. Hamilton recalled the incident in 2013, when he made a mistake entering the McLaren pit at the Malaysian Grand Prix, in his second race after leaving for Mercedes. “I remember when I joined the team it was strange driving with my old team in the pit lane, to the point that I stopped them at one point,” he said.
After an emotional victory in his British Grand Prix in July, which ended a 945-day wait for a victory, Hamilton took another victory at the Belgian Grand Prix when his teammate George Russell finished first but was disqualified. Since then, however, Russell has been behind Hamilton in 10 of the 12 races heldincluding sprints.
Qualifying was Hamilton’s biggest problemwhich forced him to try to regain positions on race day. «When you are always behind me (on the grid), it becomes very difficult, almost impossible, to compete for victories.», he said last week. Hamilton missed out on a potential chance to drive Ferrari this year in a test session following the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
He said it wasn’t possible under his Mercedes contract, but he didn’t want to start his Ferrari career that way, anyway.
Hamilton is likely to be behind the wheel behind closed doors at Ferrari’s famous Fiorano test track early next year. “I know that (Ferrari team principal) Fred (Vasseur) wants it to happen. I have two ideas. Driving a red car for the first time in Abu Dhabi did not excite me. “In a perfect world I would drive around sight unseen and do the first shoot next year,” he said. “Am I missing something? Sure, yes.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
