Hamilton shares emotional moment from final Mercedes race

Lewis Hamilton has opened up on an emotional moment in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that brought home the fact his time with Mercedes was coming to an end, after a superb drive from P16 on the grid to P4.

A mixture of traffic and clouting a bollard in Q1 on Saturday evening saw Hamilton drop out in the first part of qualifying on the last of his 246 appearances for Mercedes – the team with which he won six of his seven World Championships – ahead of his move to Ferrari in 2025.

But Hamilton put the disappointment of his third Q1 exit in six races behind him with a fine drive in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, using an alternative hard-to-medium strategy to surge from 16th on the grid to P4 at the flag – that place earned with a searing final-lap pass around the outside of Turn 9 on his team mate George Russell.

Speaking after the race, Hamilton revealed that the fabled instruction from engineer Pete ‘Bono’ Bonnington of ‘it’s Hammer Time’ had brought home the fact that this would be his final appearance for Mercedes – whose engines have powered Hamilton to all 105 of his F1 victories.

“When [Bono] said it was ‘Hammer Time’, I did notice in the moment, I was like, 'that’s the last time I’m going to hear that,’” said Hamilton. “It really clicked for me in that moment. But a really, really hard race, naturally, from where I was [on the grid].

2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Emotional Hamilton crosses the line in his final race for Mercedes

“The first stint was really, really difficult. I wasn’t losing hope, but I was just like, ‘ah, it’s not going as well as I thought it would.’ But I just didn’t give up, kept pushing, ‘come on we can get there’. Switched onto the [medium] tyres and the car came alive. But I had a massive gap to close, so I just focused on getting just absolutely everything from the car and not giving up.

“I just wanted to finish on as much as a high, and just give every ounce of me to the team as they’ve given to me all of these years.”

TREMAYNE: Why Abu Dhabi is the perfect setting for Hamilton’s epic journey with Mercedes to end

Following celebratory donuts on the grid as the most successful partnership in F1 history came to an end, Hamilton spent time kneeling next to his Mercedes W15. And asked what had been going through his mind, Hamilton responded: “I can’t remember to be honest, it’s already a blur, but I think it was just the last time I’m going to be in the cockpit of a Mercedes. Just trying to enjoy that moment.

2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Hamilton snatches P4 from Russell on the last lap

“Obviously I did the whole race, and there’s so much to do in it, but just to be able to hold onto that moment, because it’s history now and all my races have all been powered by Mercedes, and all the success we’ve had – I just sat there to think about all that and just contemplate how great a journey it’s been.

“I’m going to miss them – I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss them, it’s going to be a huge amount. I’ve worked with them every day for the past 12 years. There’s a lot of love within this team, and that’s not going anywhere.”

Hamilton will now prepare to move to Ferrari to partner Charles Leclerc in 2025, as 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli gets set to fill his shoes at Mercedes.