Lewis Hamilton says goodbye to Mercedes, the team that helped him win six world championships, while his future team, Ferrari, aims to take home the first constructors’ championship in sixteen years.
As the British driver wraps up an incredible 12-year tenure with the Silver Arrows and a 26-year affiliation with the Mercedes brand, Sunday’s floodlit Abu Dhabi Grand Prix signifies the end of an era.
After that, Hamilton will go to Ferrari, where Italy thinks he can regain the magic that made him the most successful driver in the sport with seven titles and 105 victories before he sank to a low point in the current “ground effect” era.
Despite their collapse this season, which saw McLaren maintain a 21-point lead over Ferrari going into the season-ending race, Red Bull has returned to dominating, with Max Verstappen winning four straight driver’s titles.
Mercedes and Red Bull have been dominating since 2008, while McLaren, Hamilton’s initial Formula One home, hasn’t won the championship since 1998.
Hamilton will depart Mercedes with mixed feelings despite his recent struggles, particularly in Brazil and Qatar.
In reference to the Yas Marina Circuit finale, team manager Toto Wolff stated, “It is an appreciation of everything we have achieved.”
“After honoring an unmatched tale in Abu Dhabi, we’ll go to Kuala Lumpur, Stuttgart, Brixworth, and Brackley. Our family will always include Lewis.
He went on to say that the “entire team wants to add one more highlight to the reel” before to Hamilton’s last trips to the team’s different centers.
