After the confrontations and verbal exchanges of recent weeks, Mercedes is now preparing for Lewis Hamilton's final farewell race in a grand and peaceful gathering.
Speaking ahead of Abu Dhabi, Toto Wolff reflected on the good times, noting that Lewis Hamilton may continue with a rival next year, but will always be part of the Mercedes family:
“After twelve incredible years, we’ve reached the point where this weekend Lewis and I will write the final chapter of our shared story. Let’s put our hands on our hearts, because this hasn’t been an ordinary journey. When we started working together in 2013, we couldn’t have dreamed of how far we could go together… We’ve won six individual world championships, as well as eight constructors’ titles. In the meantime, we’ve achieved eighty-four victories, seventy-eight pole positions, one hundred and fifty-three podiums, and we’ve written the most successful driver-team relationship in the history of Formula 1. We’ve experienced many moments of success and peaks, and many difficulties together. However, our relationship is much more than statistics; it’s a legacy that transcends the sport.”
For example, there's the joint effort to make F1 fairer, our joint fight for inclusion. We started this together, and it's been a great honor to work with Lewis Hamilton. This weekend won't be a simple race weekend, but a celebration. We'll celebrate and close everything I've mentioned, say our goodbyes, and try to build momentum and strength from this for the future. We'll open a new chapter with the help of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, but now the most important thing is to beautifully close our work together with Lewis Hamilton. We thank you, and once again, let's do it for the last time!" Toto Wolff said an emotional farewell to the Mercedes success-maker.
