Mercedes F1 Insider Reveals Lewis Hamilton's Final Advice To Team Before Ferrari Move

Saajan Jogia | 2 Hours Ago

2024 Italian Grand Prix, Friday / Sam Bloxham

Mercedes technical director James Allison has revealed Lewis Hamilton's last advice to his team before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where the staff and Hamilton were feeling low about the incident with the bollard during qualifying that led Hamilton to start from P16. Despite the challenge, the seven-time world champion asked his team to prepare for the race the next day with their "chins up." Following this, Hamilton put on a heroic display in his last race with Mercedes, where he secured a fourth-place finish and was just six seconds away from a podium finish.

Mercedes and Hamilton wanted to end their 12-season relationship on a high note, considering their successful partnership that saw six Drivers' Titles and eight Constructors' Championships. The team also equipped the Briton's W15 car with its latest configuration, which would serve as the foundation for the 2025 season. However, as Hamilton began his Q1 session, Magnussen dislodged a bollard while moving off the racing line. The bollard was flung directly into Hamilton's path, becoming lodged under his car, ruining his qualifying performance.

On race day though, Hamilton started on hard tires and was eager to pass the pack with an aim to finish in the top three. His momentum improved considerably after switching to medium tires in the second stint, marked by his last lap overtake on his teammate George Russell to secure fourth place. Allison shared how Hamilton was determined to conclude his time with Mercedes in a memorable way, inspiring the team the day before to maintain the same positive spirit. He said:

“Qualifying was a difficult time for Lewis in this event with his run-in with the bollard.

“He was disappointed, we were even more disappointed for him and yet, in the debrief afterwards when we were down in the mouth, he was telling us, ‘Look, put your chins up, we’re going to make the most of tomorrow and remember all the times when we’ve got this right together.’

“I think that is what it feels like. We have had some difficult seasons recently but over the span of this relationship no other driver-team partnership has come close to matching what we have done together and it has just been a fantastic run for all of us and we could not wish him more well than we did on that last day together.”

As Mercedes aimed to conclude its journey with the 39-year-old on the podium, Allison noted that the shared determination to achieve the best possible result reflects the deep mutual respect between Hamilton and the team. He added:

“We would of course love this whole season, let alone the last race, to be more of a fairy tale ending to a partnership that has set all the benchmarks in Formula 1.

“It would have been fitting if we could have finished on the podium at the very least or ideally on the top step, but that was not to be.

“That said, I think it could not have been more well handled by Lewis and by the team and I think that owes a massive amount to the respect that there is between Lewis and the team and the huge amount of appreciation for everything we have achieved together.”