The Last Masterpiece
Lewis Hamilton’s last race as a Mercedes driver was a small gem: starting from 16th on the grid, the seven-time world champion finished the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in fourth place, also taking the chance to overtake George Russell on the final lap, on the outside. A gem that confirms how, despite three very difficult seasons, the Stevenage champion has still retained—at least in the race—his full talent.
At the end of the race, speaking with the media in Abu Dhabi, including FormulaPassion.it, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff directly paid tribute to the driver with whom he built the most successful partnership in F1 history. Analyzing the race in front of journalists, the Austrian manager emphasized that, without the problems faced yesterday in qualifying due to that mischievous ‘barrier’ that got stuck under the floor of his W15, Hamilton could have contested the victory with Lando Norris today.
Without that Barrier
“I try to be analytical, and if that marker hadn’t obstructed us yesterday, I believe Lewis could have fought for the win today,” Wolff said. “And obviously, I’m very proud of that. But on the other hand, there’s something he told me: we’ve had so many wins and so many successes that these last races don’t change anything about how we feel. And today, he drove like a world champion.”
Now, Lewis Hamilton will move to Ferrari and will be an opponent for Wolff and Mercedes. However, the Brackley team boss told his now former driver via radio: “If we don’t win, I hope you will.” Even when speaking to journalists, Wolff clearly expressed the desire to maintain the personal relationship with Hamilton, even as rivals: “We’ve agreed to work hard to keep the relationship. There will be strong competition on track. But if individuals want the relationship to continue beyond the competition, it can happen.”
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