Lewis Hamilton has described his time with Mercedes as the greatest honor of his life after the seven-time champion finished his last race with the team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After a great drive at the Yas Marina circuit, Hamilton admitted he was glad to bid farewell after a difficult year on a high note.
Hamilton rose from 16th to fourth in Abu Dhabi with a fantastic performance that matched his uniquely successful partnership with Mercedes since joining the team in 2013. He won six titles with Mercedes and 84 wins in 12 seasons. In his final race before joining Ferrari next year, he took a moment to reflect on everything in the final minutes of the race, when he was given a special spot to park next to the top three cars on the start-finish straight. . There he was kneeling next to the car.
“When I pulled up, I just wanted to embrace the moment because it was the last time I would represent them in a Mercedes, so it was the greatest honor of my life,” he said.
“I mean, every moment I was in the car this week, I knew it was the last one and it was really hard to let go. I loved every race, every pole position, everything we got together. I'm proud of all the wins, all the championships. So when I knelt down next to that, I was just grateful, first of all, for my spirit that kept me pushing and gave me the strength. Thank you to everyone who made that car. I'm proud of everyone.”
Mercedes and Hamilton, who missed out on the title for the eighth time after the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, have struggled since regulations changed in 2022, with the team struggling to develop a consistently fast and balanced car. It had failed. This year, the car has improved but remains fickle, and Hamilton and the team have also had to adapt to the reality of his departure, which he announced before the start of the season, no easy task.
“It's been a really tumultuous year, probably the longest year of my life, because I knew from the beginning that we were going to leave,” he said. “No matter who it is, it's like a relationship where you say you're going to break up, but you end up living together for a whole year. Emotionally, there were a lot of ups and downs, but I ended today on a high note. Ta.”
Lando Norris won the race at the Yas Marina circuit, riding with aplomb from pole to flag to secure McLaren's first constructors' championship in 26 years. He beat both Ferraris under considerable pressure to seal the title, especially after teammate Oscar Piastri was ousted by Max Verstappen on the opening lap. He was rightly proud of his accomplishments.
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“Today was a very special day for all of us,” he said. “We were the ones who lost today and I'm sure there were moments when people thought it wasn't long before we lost. “When you look at the whole picture of us winning the championship for the first time in 26 years, McLaren… I think it's wrong to say we haven't won a championship in 26 years, but for me, for Oscar to be a part of that is something that we're very proud of. It put a big smile on everyone's face.”
