Watch: Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff share an emotional moment after the driver's stunning performance in last race for Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton took his last checkered flag as a Silver Arrows driver at the Abu Dhabi GP. After the race, the 7x champ shared an emotional embrace with Team Principal Toto Wolff to conclude this rollercoaster journey.
Hamilton put up a masterclass at the Yas Marina Circuit in the season finale. He made up for his unlucky Q1 exit on Saturday to gain 12 places and finish just short of the podium in P4. He overtook teammate George Russell, who started P6, on the last lap and sealed the memorable evening with celebratory donuts in front of the main grandstands.
Mercedes posted a 29-second clip on X where Wolff, who was smiling ear-to-ear, greeted his Ferrari-bound driver in the garage post-race. The two shared a tight hug to mark the end of an era. Mercedes captioned the post:
"You’re always going to be part of our family, @LewisHamilton🥹"
"Lewis, that was the drive of a world champion," were Toto Wolff's words to Lewis Hamilton over the team radio post-race.
Hamilton's race engineer Peter 'Bono' Bonnington also hopped in, commending his closest aide of 12 years for doing a "stellar job." The 7x champion replied with an equally grateful message, saying:
"We dreamed alone but together, we believed," he said. "Thank you for all the courage, the determination, and the passion for seeing me and supporting me. What started out as a leap of faith turned into a journey into the history books."
Lewis Hamilton revealed how Bono's last 'Hammer Time' radio message fueled him
"Hammer Time" are two words that are sweet music to Lewis Hamilton's fans but can be a nightmare for his rivals. When Bono says those words on the team radio, the legendary driver tends to find a different gear. This was also the case at the Abu Dhabi GP.
After the race, Hamilton revealed how the same message felt different this time, knowing he'd probably never hear it again. He said (via GPBlog):
"I think when he said it was ‘Hammer Time’, I did notice at the moment I was like, that's the last time I'm going to hear that. It really clicked for me at that moment."
He also explained how his W15 struggled on the hard tires that they had started on. But once he switched to the mediums, it was smooth sailing to the finish line.
"The first stint was really, really difficult. I wasn't losing hope. I was just like, it's not going as well as I thought it would. But I didn't give up, I kept pushing like, 'come on, we can get there.' Then switched onto the different tyres and the car came alive. I had a massive gap to close, so I just focused on getting absolutely everything from the car and not giving up. I wanted to finish higher, on as much of a high and just give every ounce of me to the team as they've given to me all these years."
The 39-year-old finished the season seventh in the drivers' standings with 223 points, only 22 short of George Russell in sixth. For Mercedes, it was a downgrade in the constructors' championship as the team finished fourth compared to second in 2023.
When F1 wakes up from its winter break slumber in March 2025, Lewis Hamilton will don Ferrari's iconic scarlet red for the first time in his career to chase a record-breaking eighth championship.