F1 VIDEO: Lewis Hamilton Takes Race Engineer On An emotional Fast Lap 'One Last Time'

Saajan Jogia | Dec 8, 2024

Lewis and Bono: One Last Lap | F1 Pirelli Hot Laps | YouTube Screenshot / YouTube

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and his long-time race engineer, Peter Bonnington, affectionately known as Bono, have shared an iconic partnership since 2013, which will come to an end after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as Hamilton prepares to join Ferrari next season. To honor their final race together, Hamilton took Bono on a heartfelt hot lap in a Mercedes AMG-GT R at the Yas Marina Circuit, with Bono marking the moment as being "one last ride."

The partnership between Hamilton and Bono is regarded as one of the most successful driver-engineer collaborations in Formula 1 history. Together, they have clinched six world championships and 84 race victories, including back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015, followed by an impressive streak of four consecutive championships from 2017 to 2020.

The hot lap saw Bono cursing out of excitement on several occasions, as Hamilton did what he does best. The drive ended with a neat powerslide, after which Bono shared how much he enjoyed the run. Through laughs, he admitted that he understands why the driver needs a physio.

Lewis and Bono. One final lap ❤️

pic.twitter.com/H9aK3liw1f

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 7, 2024

Despite the success, Bono won't be moving to Ferrari with Hamilton next season due to an anti-poaching clause in Hamilton's contract. This clause restricted Hamilton from directly influencing a team switch involving a current Mercedes team member.

While Hamilton would have loved to have him at Ferrari, he expressed joy at his promotion to become the team’s head of race engineering, while he also performed race engineer duties at Mercedes. When asked if he wanted Bono to move to Ferrari, Hamilton said he was very happy about his promotion however much would have liked him to follow to the Scuderia. He said:

“Was I hoping?”

“I would have loved to have continued with Bono, of course, we have a great relationship. You saw that at Silverstone, he’s like a brother, but I’m really, really, really happy for him.

“For me, I think it’s just about people doing what’s best, to do whatever’s best for you.”

Stepping into the last race weekend with Mercedes, Hamilton said it was "surreal" to be present with the team, knowing that this moment wouldn't arrive again. He said:

“It was very surreal. I've just tried to be as present as I can be and just enjoy every moment.

“From arriving, seeing the engineers and taking moments and really capturing them as much as I can."

Explaining that he was holding back his emotions this race weekend, the Briton added :

“There's no trick to it, I'm trying to keep my emotions under control as much as I can.

“I've not been great at it this year, I've definitely been very up and down.

“Human emotion is normal, but I'm just really trying to channel it into the car and into the team. I’ve so much love for the team, I've been wanting to do well for ages."