Lewis Hamilton says the disappointing way he ends his Mercedes career does not “define the path” he has taken during his 12 seasons at the team.
The seven-time world champion will drive his final race for Mercedes at next weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix before leaving the Silver Arrows to join Ferrari next season.
Hamilton’s penultimate outing for the Silver Arrows saw him finish 12th outside the points after a blistering 57-lap race in which he was penalized twice by the stewards, one for a jump start and another for speeding in the pit lane later in the race – and pierced.
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Lewis Hamilton has apologized for the wrong start and pit lane incident, but says he and the Mercedes car “do not agree” after finishing 12th in Qatar.
“Even if it ends like it did this weekend, I don’t think it defines the way we’ve gone and the way we’ve had, but I’ll give it my all,” Hamilton said. Sky Sports F1.
Hamilton has struggled in qualifying recently, failing to finish in the top five in each of the last five races and not even finishing in the top 10 twice.
His Sundays have generally been much higher, but on this occasion the mistakes poured in. After Hamilton was informed of his pit-speeding penalty, Hamilton asked Mercedes if he could to retire his car, a request that was denied.
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Watch Lewis Hamilton’s false start at the Qatar Grand Prix
“It just didn’t go very well, but these things happen,” Hamilton added.
“Don’t judge me by how many times I fall, but I will get up tomorrow and give again.
“The car and I didn’t get along very well. But we were very, very far apart at the start, the cars were quite different and it wasn’t really great to drive.
“But my fault today, so I apologize to the team for the wrong start and then the pit lane incident.”
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Watch Lewis Hamilton’s problems as George Russell loses position after disastrous pit lane
Hamilton admitted he was not hoping for a dramatic upturn in form in Abu Dhabi, but insisted it was not the result that mattered but his approach to the weekend.
“I mean, I don’t think we will be at the top,” he told Qatar’s written media.
“It’s going to end and I think the important thing is how we perform, we give it our best chance. I’m not expecting a particularly much better weekend than last weekend, but of course I’ll try.
“Go in with low hopes and come out with a better result, then great, but it doesn’t really make much of a difference. These last few races don’t affect what we’ve done together.”
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Qatar Grand Prix extended highlights from the Lusail International Tour
Russell: Mercedes’ pace completely disappeared
Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell was unable to capitalize on his pole position as he was muscled out by winner Max Verstappen and then Lando Norris at the first corner.
Running third, Russell was the first of the leaders to pit, but a too-slow stop saw him find himself in traffic and lose track position to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, both Ferraris and Hamilton.
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George Russell says Mercedes “didn’t have that much pace today” as he drops from pole to P4 in what was a disappointing and disappointing race for Mercedes.
While his hopes of repeating last week’s victory in Las Vegas were dashed, Russell was able to recover to fourth after Sainz and Hamilton punctured and Norris was penalized for failing to slow under yellow flags.
“After the pit stop I couldn’t get back through Fernando (Alonso). I was doing the same pace as (Sauber’s) Zhou Guanyu,” Russell said. Sky Sports F1.
“The speed we had on Friday and Saturday completely disappeared for both Lewis and myself, so we need to understand why that was.
“P4 was probably a better result than we deserved.”
Watch the final race of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, live on Sky Sports F1 this coming week at 1pm on Sunday. Get Sky Sports F1 or stream via NOW
