F1 champion Lewis Hamilton issues EMOTIONAL message as Mercedes exit becomes official

Lewis Hamilton, Bono, Peter Bonnington, Mercedes, Abu Dhabi, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Hamilton issues EMOTIONAL message as Mercedes exit becomes official

Lewis Hamilton has now left Mercedes after 12 years with the F1 giants

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 14 December 2024 22:57 Updated: 08:24

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Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has issued a heartwarming statement as his time with Mercedes officially came to an end.

The British icon embarked on a farewell tour with the Silver Arrows following his final outing with the team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend.

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Since Hamilton joined after his exit from McLaren in 2013, he has contributed hugely to the team's legacy, proving an integral part of the most successful partnership in the history of F1.

Having achieved 14 titles across the drivers' and constructors' championships with Mercedes since 2013, Hamilton now heads to Ferrari for 2025 and beyond looking to emulate the domination he displayed earlier in his career.

While many other drivers across the grid also said goodbye to their current teams after the season finale last weekend, Hamilton has gone a step further, delaying his debut in red to carry out a farewell agreement with Mercedes across the globe.

Lewis Hamilton has achieved six of his seven F1 championships with Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton will drive for Ferrari in 2025

Hamilton declares Mercedes partnership officially over

Despite many drivers such as Hamilton's predecessor Carlos Sainz heading straight to their new teams following the 2024 finale, Hamilton himself chose instead to carry out final commitments with Mercedes.

The team's star driver headed to Kuala Lumpur following the final race at the Yas Marina Circuit to visit Mercedes' key sponsor and thank their hardworking staff at the Petronas Twin Towers. However, following his return to Brixworth and Brackley to say his final goodbyes, Hamilton's journey with the team is now officially at an end.

Hamilton took to his personal Instagram this week to share the final celebrations of his time with the team, declaring his journey with Toto Wolff's outfit officially over.

In an emotional post, the 39-year-old wrote: "This is really it,"

"After Abu Dhabi, after Kuala Lumpur, and after Stuttgart it comes to an end here. This has been my home,"

"To the thousands of people who work at Brackley and Brixworth, you have been friends and teammates and I can’t thank you enough for all the hard work and support. It’s been real ?"

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A post shared by Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton)

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes McLaren FIA Abu Dhabi Grand Prix