Who is Lewis Hamilton? Explore his journey with Mercedes as he retires
Lewis Hamilton bids an emotional farewell to Mercedes after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, reflecting on his 12-year journey with the team and looking ahead to his move to Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton bids an emotional farewell to Mercedes after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, reflecting on his 12-year journey with the team and looking ahead to his move to Ferrari.
As Lewis Hamilton gears up for his 246th and final race with Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the seven-time Formula 1 champion has opened up about the emotional rollercoaster that has defined his farewell season with the Silver Arrows.
The 39-year old beat the likes of Ferrari and McLaren to clock the fastest lap of the day as drivers up and down the grid struggled to extract performance around the low-grip track.
Lewis Hamilton of Mercerdes and Alpine's Esteban Ocon will start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the pit lane after taking multiple new power unit elements following qualifying, breaching their allowances for the season.
Though it's unclear if a final contract has been signed or not, talks are still progressing, and this week's end could see the outcome.
The 34-year-old Briton fought with ferocious determination to win from fifth on the grid but was unable to resist the Finn, who started from pole and, with a two-stop strategy, had fresher tyres in the critical final laps.
Charles Leclerc could only finish sixth in the second Ferrari, meaning Mercedes clinched a record sixth successive constructors' world championship with their double podium finish.
Mercedes' Fin driver, Valtteri Bottas, came in second, a spot ahead of Ferrari's other driver Charles Leclerc who completed the podium despite starting the race from pole.
The Briton moved 39 points clear of the Finn behind in the title race, but Bottas was unlucky with the timing of the safety car which effectively gave Hamilton a free pit stop.
The Finn, who is 31 points adrift of defending world champion Hamilton in this year's title race, clocked a track record fastest lap in one minute and 25.093 seconds to outpace the local hero by just 0.006 seconds.
