This Sunday, Lewis Hamilton will race for the last time in a Mercedes car at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as he is set to leave for Ferrari at the end of the season. The seven-time world champion announced earlier this year, before the start of the season, that he had signed a new deal with Ferrari, which would take effect from the next season.
The news caught the racing world by surprise, as many people thought Hamilton would end his career with the team with which he won six of his world championships. But that was not going to be the case.
On Wednesday, Mercedes took to social media to make farewell posts, sharing pictures of Hamilton over the years and showing off some of his achievements with them. He joined the German team in 2013 and won his second title in 2014, after a phenomenal season where he won 16 out of 19 races. Hamilton then went on to win the title in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.
His first few years with Mercedes was defined by the team’s innovation and his on-track fighting spirit. This resulted in one of F1’s most successful partnerships that broke many records and set Hamilton on the path to becoming the driver with the most titles, 8. Unfortunately, the story would not end as sweetly as it started.
In recent years, specifically since 2022, Mercedes has been having trouble putting a fast car on the track, and this has cost them a lot, and it is the biggest reason behind Hamilton’s departure.
Although they showed a bit of improvement this season, with Hamilton winning two races and making other podium appearances, however, the past few years have shown that Mercedes would not give Hamilton the eighth title he so desires, forcing him to make the switch to Ferrari.
It’s been quite a journey together, and we have gained a lot from each other. But, like with every other thing in life, this is the end of the Hamilton-Mercedes partnership.
