Mercedes reveal how Hamilton created motivational WhatsApp group during fractious 2021 season

Lewis Hamilton turned to WhatsApp to help inspire his Mercedes colleagues during their intense title battle with Max Verstappen and Red Bull back in 2021, the team have revealed.

Hamilton and Verstappen memorably went head-to-head from the first race to the last in that year’s championship, with the latter ultimately coming out on top by just a handful of points after a dramatic Abu Dhabi finale.

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A few years on, Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director, Andrew Shovlin, has given fresh insight into how Hamilton approached the fierce fight behind the scenes, particularly as the season reached its climax.

Speaking on a Beyond The Grid tribute episode for Hamilton ahead of his Mercedes exit, Shovlin shared how he – along with a few other team members – got pinged on WhatsApp with a special invitation.

“Coming into the last four races in 2021, I got invited to a WhatsApp group that was just called, ‘We will do this’,” said Shovlin. “Lewis had put a few people in it, and we had to win the next four races.

“When I saw it, he was the one who created the group. I got this sense of, ‘Yeah, actually, we will do it’, because if he believes he’s going to do it, we’re there to support him… He’s got this sense of belief that’s so strong it could almost make things happen.

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“The turnaround at that point, the dedication, the commitment, the level of detail he was going into to make sure we could go and win four races on the bounce, was incredible.”

While Hamilton won three of those last four races, defeat to Verstappen at the Yas Marina Circuit – having been overtaken following a late Safety Car – meant the Dutchman secured the crown by the slender margin of eight points.

“We all know what happened in the final laps of Abu Dhabi and it’s difficult to take any satisfaction from the way that year concluded, other than we did what we needed, we achieved those targets that we had to achieve,” added Shovlin.

“We put the car where we needed it. It was as quick as it needed to be. Events out of our control meant that didn’t happen, but it’s that kind of thing where [Hamilton] is unique. That’s why he’s the best of the best.”

Some 11 years on from joining the team, Hamilton has been bidding an emotional farewell to Mercedes over the last few days, appearing at team partner Petronas’ headquarters in Malaysia before visits to UK factories Brackley and Brixworth.

READ MORE: ‘We will always be your people’ – Wolff shares special message to Hamilton ahead of move to Ferrari

In 2025, the seven-time world champion will replace Carlos Sainz by teaming up with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, marking a new chapter in his illustrious F1 career and ensuring that he will race into his 40s.

To listen to the full Beyond The Grid episode featuring more insight from Shovlin, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and other names, simply hit go on the audio player above or click here to listen via your preferred podcasting platform.