"Mercedes has changed my life": Lewis Hamilton makes emotional farewell speech in Brixworth
Lewis Hamilton paid tribute to the Mercedes F1 team after his final debrief at their engine base in Brixworth. In February, the seven-time F1 world champion shocked everyone after he announced that he would be leaving the German team at the end of the 2024 season to join Ferrari.
The news came as a surprise given that he had signed a contract extension with the former world champions for two years in August 2023 but decided to activate his release clause.
On the track, it was a mixed bag farewell yearfor Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes as the pair achieved five podiums, including two race wins in Silverstone and Spa. However, they could only finish P7 in the driver's standings.
Mercedes on their official social media platform, Instagram, showcased some of the final moments of Hamilton at their engine base in Brixworth while the 39-year-old spoke about his relationship with Mercedes as a brand over the years. He said:
"Mercedes has changed my life. Growing up in Stevenage Dreaming of one day and being a world champion. And definitely, back then, it was me and my two parents. I didn't know that there would be a huge number of people that I would get to work with who would be the ones to lift me up and take them on that journey and win something like that.
"But I'm going to always be looking on the screens and seeing where you guys are. I'm always going to be wishing you all the absolute best. I believe in you. I'll continue to believe in you and when you do have that success, I'll be so proud of you to know that I was hopefully a little bit part of your dream," Hamilton added.
Lewis Hamilton bids farewell to the team at Brackley
Soon-to-be Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton on his social media platform, Instagram, bid farewell to the team members at their base in Brackley.
After finishing P4 in his final race with the team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the 105-time race winner has been in Kuala Lumpur and Stuttgart to say his goodbyes at the team's important destinations. In his post on Instagram, he posted a series of pictures and wrote:
"This is really it. After Abu Dhabi, after Kuala Lumpur, and after Stuttgart it comes to an end here. This has been my home. To the thousands of people who work at Brackley and Brixworth, you have been friends and teammates and I can’t thank you enough for all the hard work and support. It’s been real."
Lewis Hamilton would be joining the Italian team at the beginning of the season and was unable to take part in the Abu Dhabi post-season test due to his commitments with Mercedes.