Lewis Hamilton received a fun message from his team in Abu Dhabi (Image: Getty)
prepared a special message on ’s dashboard at the end of the last weekend. The seven-time world champion completed his final race for the Silver Arrows, ending a legendary 12-year stay in Brackley.
The final race weekend of the season was an emotional one for all personnel involved at as Hamilton donned the black and silver overalls for the final time. The 39-year-old came back from 16th on the grid to finish fourth, ahead of team-mate , rounding off the year in style.
When he pulled into a specially designated grid spot after the chequered flag, Hamilton had a heartwarming graphic on his steering wheel display. It is not uncommon for teams to bid departing F1 drivers farewell in this manner, and also received a similar message from .
“Lewis if you go chassis default 44 for Maddog,” said race engineer Peter Bonnington on the cooldown lap. “And if we could have HPP one position 12, strat mode 14, pick up as much rubber as you can on the fronts and we’ll see you on the grid, go to the grid, please.”
What popped up on the steering wheel display was a photo of Hamilton along with the years of his seven Drivers’ Championship titles – six of which were won with – and the message: “Thank you, Lewis. Forever we rise.”
Hamilton did not shy away from his emotions as the final race of an iconic partnership came to an end. The Brit will make the move to Maranello in the new year as he prepares to team up with Charles Leclerc and Fred Vasseur at .
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Lewis Hamilton received a special message from his Mercedes team (Image: F1)
“We’ve definitely had our ups and downs,” Hamilton said in Abu Dhabi. “There have been certain feelings that I’ve chosen to go a certain way, and it’s not been easy for people to accept and get over.
“But bit by bit, through the year what has come through is real love at the end of the day. I’ve got board members from who have stood by and supported me all of these years who were upset at the beginning, but they said ‘You’ll always be a part of the family’.
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“On Thursday, the team surprised me upstairs, and that was super-emotional. I’ve not got any more tears, everything came out then. It’s been a turbulent year – probably the longest year of my life because we’ve known from the beginning that we were leaving.
“And it’s like a relationship when you’ve told whoever the counterpart is that you’re leaving, but you’re living together for a whole year. Lots of ups and downs emotionally but we finished off on a high today, with a strong, hard battle, no mistakes and a solid drive.”