Toto Wolff makes his feelings known about Lewis Hamilton's departure from Mercedes in an emotional letter to the driver
Lewis Hamilton departed from Mercedes after the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP. The seven-time world champion had an emotional in-lap at his last race with Mercedes, where a heartfelt radio message was followed up with car donuts and tears. Hamilton’s team boss for close to 12 years, Toto Wolff, has now come out with an emotional voice note for the Brit.
Mercedes' official X account uploaded an audio on the platform. It was a goodbye letter from Toto Wolff to Lewis Hamilton. The caption read:
“To Lewis, from Toto”
As the journey concluded, Wolff thanked the 39-year-old, shared the emotions behind the 12-year journey, and gave Hamilton a few words of wisdom.
Toto Wolff said:
“I'm on the go, so I thought I'd better leave you a voice note, like always. Yeah, the moment is here, we all knew it was coming. We've raced the last lap. The longest and most successful partnership in F1 history. Who would've thought that when we started the journey. It's been a crazy ride for a boy from Stevenage who had a dream. And you shared this journey with us at Mercedes.
“So now, you are opening up a new chapter with Ferrari. But most important, remember one thing, find your people. Not just the ones that work with you, or sign your contract. Of course we know that's important, but the ones who dream with you, fight with you, who have your back and your ear. The ones who stand with you and kneel with you. The ones who see you including the parts you don't want seen, who never stop believing, even when you do sometimes.
“Because when you find your people, you don't just beat the world, you change it. And whatever the future holds, just remember, we will always be your people because every dream needs a team. You know it. Take care my friend, see you on track. We're really looking forward to it.”
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton’s partnership was the most successful in the history of the sport. He raced with Mercedes in 245 races, won 84 times, and stood on the podium 153 times. Six out of Hamilton's seven championships came at Mercedes. The Silver Arrows, on the other hand, won eight consecutive constructor's championships from 2014-2021.
Hamilton himself had a heart-wrenching message for Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi GP.
Lewis Hamilton's radio message to Peter Bonnington at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP
Lewis Hamilton was spotted crying in the garage, with his race engineer Peter Bonnington also tearing up after the Abu Dhabi GP. Lewis Hamilton parked the car on the main straight, gave the fans some donuts, stepped out of the car, squatted next to it, dropped his head, and patted the machine. However, while making his way to the straight, the Brit had a message for his team.
Peter Bonnington on the radio said:
“Good man! Stellar job today. It's been a pleasure all the way.”
Hamilton replied:
“The pleasure’s been mine. Yeah Bono, we dreamed alone, but together we believed. And as a team, we achieved things that… Thank you for all the courage, the determination, the passion, for seeing me and supporting me.
"What started out as a leap of faith turned into a journey into the history books. So, we did everything together and I’m so so grateful to everyone here and back at the factory. From the bottom of my heart, all the best.”
Hamilton’s final drive for Mercedes was a representation of how he always got back up after falling. He started P16 and finished the race in P4, overtaking Russell on the final lap.