Lewis Hamilton’s emotional farewell to Brackley and Brixworth: “Mercedes changed my life”. Lewis Hamilton's extended Mercedes farewell tour concluded last Friday..

The long goodbye
First came the donuts and the team farewell in Abu Dhabi, followed by goodbyes in Kuala Lumpur with Petronas, then at the Mercedes headquarters in Stuttgart, and finally the farewell speech at the Brackley and Brixworth facilities. Lewis Hamilton’s extended farewell tour concluded last Friday.

All the cars with which Sir Lewis won his Formula 1 world championships with the Silver Arrows were displayed outside the campus, while all the trophies he earned were lined up inside the building. Lewis Hamilton took the stage to deliver a speech and thank those present—joined by Toto Wolff and George Russell—and later rode in an open car to greet the engineers, employees, and supporters lined up outside the headquarters.

The speech
From Mercedes’ official channels, Lewis Hamilton’s words to the team in Brackley: “You know I’m leaving, but you will continue and achieve even greater success because you are an incredible group of people. There is so much talent and passion here; anyone would be lucky to work with you. I hope that when I stop racing, I can return here and look back at the wonderful memories with all of you. No driver has had such a long and successful experience with a single team, and that makes this goodbye even harder. You have lived in my dream, and I hope I have been a part of yours. A huge thank you from the bottom of my heart, and thanks also from my family, for the dedication you’ve shown over the years.”

At the Brixworth facility, where the power units are produced, Lewis Hamilton emphasized: “Mercedes changed my life. I didn’t know I would work with so many people who would guide me on this journey to achieve so much. I’ll always be watching on the monitors to see where you are, and I’ll always wish you the best. I believe in you, and I’m so proud of all the success we’ve had. I hope to return in a few years.”