“I’m very calm. I feel positive and eager to give it my all this weekend.” This is how it started Lewis Hamilton the previous press conference of Abu Dhabi GPthe last race of the season and more special for him: his last appointment with Mercedes after 12 years of more victories than defeats.
“Throughout the year, I raced at every circuit one last time with Mercedes and now, in our meetings… is when you realize that these are my last moments with the team and it’s hard to describe what you feel. It’s not the best feelingbut I feel very proud of all we have achieved. “I’m very proud of the team,” explained the 39-year-old British driver.
The 7-time champion described what his last year was like after surprising Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes, with the news of his signing with Ferrari, the difficult start to the season and the dispute with Toto, but also all the moments of his glory experience with Mercedes and the people in the team.
12 YEARS AND 246 RACES AT MERCEDES. BEST MEMORY?
“Those smiles at the victories, I think that’s those moments. I remember an engineer at our first victory in Australia in 2014, I remember how he cried on the podium. ‘Those things I will remember, like the emotions in Silverstone this season. . and supported me all these years from the first moment”.
WHEN HE LEFT MCLAREN
“I don’t remember, to be honest. I remember meeting Niki Lauda, meeting him and I remember making the decision, but to be honest, I don’t remember the last days at McLaren. Certainly It’s not as painful It was decided at the end of the season and that’s why I think it’s easier, faster and there’s not much time for anyone in the team to settle in. This time it’s more emotional because I spent a lot time with the team and we went through it together.”
WITH TOTO WOLFF THIS YEAR
“The first meeting with Toto Wolff at the beginning of the season was strange, strange at the beginning. One day after I joined the paintball team and they just found out… and they shot me a lot, I had a lot of bruises and they attacked I (laughs) I expected it to be hard, but I underestimated how hard it has been. Emotionally.
“I have not dealt with those emotions in the best possible way. Throughout my career you have seen the best and the worst of me and I will not apologize because I am human and humans make mistakes, but it is true that in the future I will try to improve these situations better than I have developed over the years… when you live in a time with so many people It’s not just a race weekend, you accompany them in their private lives, cancer, marriage, divorce, etc son… it’s a journey we’ve all been on together And for so long on the team, the truth is the emotions. They’re so deep.”
THE MECHANICS HE SAYS GOODBYE TO MERCEDES
“They are heroes without capes. All the credit should go to the team because they are the soldiers who are on the front lines, week after week. The team is everything and the links between all the people on the team. There is no one who is more important than everyone else everyone has to do their job and row in the same direction and it’s a real privilege to see those people acting and performing at the highest level and working almost perfectly, although not it always happens, but occasionally the those synergies and how together is something really special.
PROGRESS IN EQUALITY IN THE TEAM FOR THEIR FIGHT
“I can’t say much about the world because it’s still a bit of a mess. But I’m really proud of what we’ve done at Mercedes: the steps they’ve taken, their investment, everything they’ve stepped up to. hug the Sa instead, the team is more inclusive and diverse than before, more open-minded and we hope that in doing so the rest of the team will follow us, and we’ve seen how F1 has done and others have realized this of teams its importance and I am proud that I was a part of that spark brought about this change. I feel the sport is now moving in the right direction.”
FERRARI CHALLENGE FROM 2025
“I’m not looking to compare myself to Michael Schumacher. Today it’s not something I want. Right now I’m trying to think about finishing in the best possible way with Mercedes. The next few days will be very emotional and there are many questions about what awaits me.” next year, although of course I will face it with much emotion and much enthusiasm. I don’t know what else to say.
CHANGING TEAMS AT THIS POINT IN HIS CAREER
“Of course, it resets the motivation. It reigns that flame. It’s an ideal scenario for any driver to have an opportunity like this. It’s not something I take for granted. I respect Carlos incredibly and everything he’s done within the team. When I join Mercedes I remember that joining a new team is not an easy step, because it takes time to learn new tools, build relationships with people, but I approach next year with that focus and mentality than when I joined Mercedes. In the end, the leap of faith was an exciting one.
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.
