Lewis Hamilton has paid his final farewell to his now-former Mercedes team as he prepares to join Ferrari ahead of the next Formula One season.
Hamilton shook the world of racing when he announced prior to the 2024 season that the upcoming year would be his final with the team he has won six of his seven world championships at.
His move was a major subplot to the season, which finished in Abu Dhabi last weekend, where the 39-year-old made his way through the grid to finish fourth, just ahead of team-mate George Russell.
He cut an emotional figure as he waved goodbye to the Mercedes team at the race, and the farewells have continued in the week since, concluding on Friday in Brackley.
The headquarters of the Mercedes team, officially titled the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, is located in the town in West Northamptonshire, and Hamilton and the other faces of the team were present there this week.
Joined on stage by team principal Toto Wolff and Russell, Hamilton took to the microphone to thank those in attendance at Mercedes HQ to give his thanks for all the hard work of the behind-the-scenes team throughout his time with the manufacturer.
Lewis Hamilton waved an emotional goodbye to Mercedes as he prepares to join Ferrari
He drove his final race in Abu Dhabi last weekend – he won 84 in total for Mercedes
Reports have suggested that the 39-year-old is having Italian lessons ahead of the move
‘You know I’m leaving, [but] you guys are going to go and have so much more success moving forward because this is an incredible group of people,’ he said. ‘There’s so much talent and so much passion here.
‘Anyone would be lucky to be working with you. I hope that when I do eventually stop racing, I can come back and visit you all, and I know we can always look back on these fond memories, what a journey.
‘There is no driver in the world that has had this experience with the team, and it makes it that much harder to let go. But I am taking with me the greatest memories. You guys have been living in my dream, and hopefully I have been living partly in your dreams too.
‘So a huge, huge thank you from the bottom of my heart and, also my family thanks you for all the dedication all these years, so a big thank you everyone and God Bless you.’
He also took to Instagram to share a number of images from the day, which featured a group photo, all six of his world championship winning cars lined up, and an open-roof drive.
The caption read: ‘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 team-mates and I can’t thank you enough for all the hard work and support. It’s been real.’
Also at the farewell were all of Hamilton’s trophies throughout his time with the team. He won 84 races in total in a Mercedes car.
He was tearful as he left the factory for the final time, applauded away by the workers and seemingly some fans as a large firework display went off as the evening arrived.
He cut an emotional figure as he left the Mercedes factory in Brackley for the last time
He will join and partner Charles Leclerc (pictured) while wearing red from next season
Hamilton will join Ferrari on a £40million per year contract ahead of next year, swapping white and black for red in a look that will take fans some getting used to.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, meanwhile, Hamilton has been taking Italian lessons ahead of 2025, which is believed will help him acclimatise to the team.
As he leaves behind one team, he will be looking to develop a strong working relationship with the Ferrari group based in Maranellon, which is in the province of Modena and in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna.
He will be Charles Leclerc’s new team-mate, replacing Carlos Sainz, as rookie Kimi Antonelli takes his place at the silver arrows.
