Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says he would like to see Lewis Hamilton win at Ferrari if his team fails to win the championship.
Hamilton pitted from 16th to finish fourth on Sunday in his final race for Mercedes as his 12 years with the Silver Arrows came to an emotional end at Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The 39-year-old announced before the start of this season that he would join Ferrari in 2025 and admitted he “massively underestimated” the challenge this year.
Next year, Italian teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli will replace Hamilton in “Mercedes”.
If we can’t win, we will make him happy,” said Wolff.
“He deserves an eighth championship, but obviously the team, the drivers, the brand, that’s the main priority to win and we’ll give him everything we can.”
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Lewis Hamilton has reflected on his recent ‘Hammer time’ with race engineer Bono during the final lap of his final race with Mercedes.
Hamilton, who overtook George Russell on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, won six drivers’ titles, 84 races and 78 pole positions for Mercedes.
Wolff says he will “work hard to maintain his relationship with Hamilton, including dining and riding a motorcycle with F1’s most successful driver ever.
“It’s been 12 years. Not only is it the longest driver-team relationship the sport has ever seen, it’s also one of the longest relationships any sports team has had with a player,” Wolff continued.
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Anthony Davidson is on SkyPad to analyze Lewis Hamilton’s latest overtake for Mercedes as he overtook team-mate George Russell on the final lap in Abu Dhabi.
“And one of the longest relationships with a person. Obviously, it creates a bond, a trust, and those values are rare these days. That’s why it’s a period we’ll hold dear to our hearts.”
“And one of the best times for me and the team.”
Hamilton: The final “hammer time” was when it clicked for me
Hamilton had a big slice of bad luck on Saturday when he was knocked out in Q1 by running over pole, so he started 16th.
He was the only driver to start on the hard roads, so he ran long in the first stage before a late race start on the intermediates, passing Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and making a brave move on team-mate Russell in the final stage;
Hamilton’s engineer Peter Bonnington became famous for his “it’s time for the hammer” radio message to his driver as they battled for wins, a signal to push hard before the pit stop for
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Martin Brundle shares the track with Lewis Hamilton in his old Mercedes ahead of his final race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“I think when Bono said ‘it’s hammer time’ (during the pit stop), I was like, ‘That’s the last time I’m going to hear that.’ said Hamilton Sky Sports F1.
“It was a really, really tough race, naturally, from where I was, and I didn’t have as great a start as this one here (Charles Leclerc), my new teammate.
“And that first game was really, really hard. I wasn’t giving up hope, I was just saying,
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Sky Sports revisits Lewis Hamilton’s most emotional moments for Mercedes ahead of his final race in Abu Dhabi
“But I just didn’t give up, I just kept pushing, like, ‘Come on, we can get there,’ and then I switched to different tires and the car came alive, but I had a huge gap to close, so I just focused on absolutely everything from the car.” on what to get and what not to give up.
“I wanted to finish on the same high and just give every ounce of myself to the team as they have given me all these years.”
He added F1 TV“I’m going to miss them all. I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss them, because I’ve worked with them every day for the past 12 years and it’s not going anywhere.”
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