Watch: Lewis Hamilton and Peter Bonnington in tears after the F1 Abu Dhabi GP
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes' iconic partnership concluded with the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP on December 8. The seven-time world champion shared his heartfelt feelings on the team radio after the race. Soon after, Hamilton was spotted in the pitlane with his race engineer Peter Bonnington (Bono) as the duo were in tears.
Hamilton and Bonnington have shared the special bond of driver and race engineer for over a decade. The Briton clinched six championships, 84 wins, and 153 podiums at Mercedes with Bono as his engineer. A video of the two surfaced on the internet after the Abu Dhabi GP.
The 39-year-old hugged Bonnington in the Mercedes garage. Hamilton and Bono then posed for a picture with tears in their eyes. The British driver then patted the emotional race engineer on the back before wiping tears off his own face.
Hamilton has been the face of Mercedes for the past decade and the news of him moving to Ferrari for 2025 came as a shock to many. Bonnington was rumored to be leaving Mercedes and joining Ferrari alongside Hamilton. However, Bono decided to stay at Mercedes as the team's new Head of Race Engineering. Bono will be Kimi Antonelli’s race engineer for the 2025 season.
The driver and race engineer were evidently emotional soon after the race ended. Lewis Hamilton’s engineer thanked the seven-time champion for all the things they accomplished together. Bono also used the iconic “It's Hammer Time” radio call at the Briton's last race with Mercedes.
Peter Bonnington and Lewis Hamilton's emotional radio exchange after the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP
Lewis Hamilton started the Abu Dhabi GP in P16 and finished in P4. It was a prime Hamilton display with a never give up attitude. After the race ended, the emotions started flowing as the reality of the 39-year-old leaving hit. The duo shared heart-rending messages during the in-lap.
Peter Bonnington said (via F1TV):
“Nice work Lewis! That’s P4 mate. That's the end of an era. Gotta say it’s been epic working with you.”
Toto Wolff chimed in on the radio and added:
“Lewis that was the drive of a world champion, amazing”
Bonnington continued:
“Good man! Stellar job today. It's been a pleasure all the way.”
Lewis Hamilton, while still soaking in the reality, 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.”
Bono responded:
“Thank you Lewis. It's been an amazing journey. I'm so grateful to be a part of this chapter of your life. Best of luck for the next one.”
Lewis Hamilton celebrated his time with Mercedes with a flurry of donuts on the main straight. As he got out of the car, he sat on his knees, dropped his head, patted the Mercedes F1 car, and took in the moment.