Lewis Hamilton emerged from the smoke of his donuts in Abu Dhabi, knelt down subsequent to his Mercedes and patted the facet of the automotive.
It may not have been the fairytale consequence they wished, however he and Mercedes had nonetheless signed off on a excessive. A Q1 exit partially because of a bollard wedging itself below his ground made for a tricky Sunday outlook, however Hamilton was at one thing approaching his finest with a measured drive by means of the sector, capped with a fantastic transfer across the exterior of teammate George Russell on the ultimate lap to take fourth place.
“Each second that I’ve obtained within the automotive this week I’ve identified that it’s one of many final,” Hamilton mentioned. “It’s been actually, actually clear and actually laborious to let go. I feel once I stopped the automotive I simply wished to embrace the second, as a result of it’s the final time I’m going to step right into a Mercedes and characterize them.
“It’s been the best honor of my life. They’ve powered each race, each pole place, each win we’ve had collectively, each championship, so I feel once I knelt subsequent to it … it was simply giving thanks. Firstly, thanking my very own spirit for not giving up and persevering with to push, thanking everybody that powered and constructed that automotive; I’m pleased with everybody.”
All of it got here right down to this — one final second with the automotive, an indication of reverence for a group turned household. Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Photographs
The truth that Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari has been identified for thus lengthy means the shock has subsided, with the Briton likening it to dwelling with a companion for a 12 months after asserting you’ll be breaking apart, however he and Mercedes’ remaining race collectively actually is a landmark second in Components 1 historical past.
On the finish of 2012 — when Hamilton had solely been in F1 for 5 years however felt like a McLaren lifer — he took the courageous step to go away his consolation zone looking for a group that might supply an opportunity of extra private freedom and a front-running automotive.
“Clearly, I bear in mind assembly Niki [Lauda],” he mentioned. “And I bear in mind making the choice … It undoubtedly wasn’t as painful and troublesome as this 12 months has been when it comes to the feelings. I feel as a result of it was on the finish of the 12 months, it was a lot faster and there wasn’t sufficient time for it to essentially settle in for anybody, I feel, inside the group.
“This one is far more emotional as a result of I’ve been with the group so lengthy and we’ve been by means of a lot collectively.”
His resolution to maneuver groups over a decade in the past was like trying to find the holy grail, and Hamilton definitely discovered it at Mercedes.
Many earlier than failed in that quest. Fernando Alonso is one such driver who’s so typically cited as transferring groups looking for a contented dwelling and by no means fairly being in the best place on the proper time.
However for Hamilton and Mercedes it was an ideal match. A corporation the place he had a teammate in Nico Rosberg who would push him and guarantee it wasn’t merely his group, but in addition the place his religion in making the transfer had additional galvanized a workforce that was getting ever nearer to changing into a real contender.
When Hamilton began with Mercedes, he was nonetheless maturing. Turning 28 forward of his first season, you can have anticipated him to be in his prime, however this was a driver who nonetheless had loads of growing to do on and off observe. We simply didn’t understand it on the time.
Complete seasons glided by with Hamilton and then-teammate Nico Rosberg seemingly inseparable. It was a time of nice growth, culminating in a championship battle that confirmed nice restraint, even on the shedding facet. Steven Tee/Motorsport Photographs
The 2014 season had a double-points finale however it wasn’t required because the hole between the 2 Mercedes drivers was simply 17 factors earlier than Hamilton wrapped up title quantity two. The third was far more emphatic, however having received the championship early in Austin, permitting Rosberg the chance to win the three remaining races — the primary time Rosberg had overwhelmed his teammate in three consecutive races that each had completed — created momentum that might show robust to halt.
4 extra wins to start out the season set Rosberg on his method, and Hamilton’s crown was in danger. A retirement in Malaysia was significantly pricey, however the potential for such a problem to be so important got here from earlier outcomes.
But it was the race that noticed Hamilton lose out on the title that additionally confirmed the extent he operates on. The best way he was capable of manipulate tempo and again Rosberg up into chasing site visitors was extremely spectacular, as he by no means went too far along with his strategy to that specific title state of affairs.
Hamilton was irked at Rosberg retiring that winter, as a result of he didn’t get a proper of reply to regain his crown towards the defending champion. However regain it he did in dominant type, taking 4 in a row to face alongside Michael Schumacher on seven championships, breaking the German’s report of F1 victories within the course of.
It’s straightforward to be swayed by recency bias, however it shouldn’t be ignored that even after lacking out on the 2021 title in such devastating vogue, and fighting the brand new era of automotive, Hamilton’s 2024 finale overtake on Russell in the course of the remaining lap in Abu Dhabi ensured he outscored his highly-rated teammate over their three years alongside one another.
The requirements Hamilton set at Mercedes imply that stat nonetheless represents a return to kind after he’s been removed from his finest. He admits he struggled with it, particularly because the 12 months drew on with the data of a contemporary begin on the horizon.
For a relationship that all the time appeared fairly shut, 2024 introduced a complete new set of challenges for Hamilton and Mercedes group boss Toto Wolff. Steve Etherington/Motorsport Photographs
“The primary assembly with Toto in the beginning of the 12 months was awkward, in fact,” Hamilton mentioned. “It was awkward from the get-go, to the day after once I took a number of the group paintballing, and so they had simply discovered. I obtained plenty of photographs from individuals, a great deal of bruises — individuals went in on me that day!
“I feel finally I anticipated it could be troublesome, however massively underestimated how troublesome it could be. It was straining the connection very early on and took time for individuals to get previous it.
“Only for my very own self, it’s been a really emotional 12 months for me, and I feel I’ve not been at my finest in dealing with and coping with these feelings. I feel this 12 months — so lots of you’ve got been right here my complete profession, so that you’ve all seen the worst of me and seen the perfect of me and I’m not going to apologize for both as a result of I’m solely human and I don’t all the time get it proper — I might undoubtedly say this 12 months’s been one of many worst when it comes to dealing with that from my facet, which I’ll work on making an attempt to be higher at.
“However I hope the nice and the highs far outweigh the negatives and the way I’ve dealt with it or behaved. I simply bear in mind the nice occasions. I’ve constructed some unimaginable relationships.
“Should you think about, while you’re going by means of a season along with so many individuals, not solely on these race weekends the place you’re using 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. It’s a very lovely journey you go on collectively, and being [together] so lengthy, the feelings run so deep.”
These feelings will now actually hit as Hamilton prepares to stroll into Maranello within the close to future and begin a model new part of his profession. Simply as Schumacher and Ferrari will without end be the memorable partnership overshadowing his late spell at Mercedes, it will likely be virtually inconceivable for Hamilton to provide something on the Scuderia that overshadows what he and Mercedes achieved collectively.
It truly is the tip of an period — one which will by no means be matched.
