This weekend’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marks the end of an era for Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes Formula 1 operation.
After 12 years and six F-1 drivers’ championships, Hamilton will depart from the team for Scuderia Ferrari next year.
Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff reflected on what he described as “quite a journey.”
“When we first started working together in 2013, we couldn’t have imagined what was to come,” Wolff began. “Six Drivers’ World Championships. Eight Constructors’ titles. 84 wins. 78 pole positions. 153 podium finishes. The most successful driver and team partnership in F-1 history. Many highs that we have enjoyed. Some crushing lows that we’ve overcome together.
“Our relationship has meant so much more than just numbers and statistics, though. It is a legacy that transcends our sport, with a lasting impact beyond the race track. One that has strived to increase diversity in our sport. To fight for inclusion. Lewis has been the catalyst for so much of this and we have been honored and proud to work hand-in-hand with him.
“That work won’t stop at the end of this year. But it began because of the impetus led by Lewis.”
The duo reached new heights together as Hamilton transcended the sport to become perhaps the greatest F-1 driver of all time as he tied Michael Schumacher for the most titles when he won his seventh in 2020. His 105 victories, 202 podiums and 104 pole positions are the most by any F-1 driver.
While he competed for McLaren at the beginning of his career, the entry was a Mercedes-powered race car, making the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix his last with the Mercedes brand.
“This weekend is a celebration,” Wolff said. “A celebration of everything that we have accomplished together. Lewis’s association with Mercedes goes back 26 years. Every lap of his career so far has been powered by the three-pointed star.
“We will honor this unparalleled story in Abu Dhabi and across the following week as we visit Kuala Lumpur, Stuttgart, then finally Brixworth and Brackley. And honor it knowing that, whilst this phase of our relationship is coming to an end, Lewis will always be a part of our family.”