Lewis Hamilton Parts Ways With Mercedes; Most Successful Driver-Team Partnership In F1 History

It's the end of an era for Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton.

Hamilton's Mercedes career ended on Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after 12 seasons, 84 victories, and 6 championships. In 2025, Hamilton will be moving to Ferrari.

Hamilton, 39, ended his Mercedes era on Sunday grabbing fourth place after starting 16th.

The partnership between Hamilton and Mercedes began just ahead of the 2013 season. He earned the title of the most successful driver-team partnership in F1 history with Mercedes. In his 12 seasons and 246 races with Mercedes, he picked up 84 victories and six championships. It came as a shock to many when Hamilton announced in February that he would be declining his Mercedes contract option to join the Scuderia to team with Charles Leclerc in 2025.

After crossing the finish line on Sunday, Hamilton told his team, "What started out as a leap of faith turned a journey into the history books."

Hamilton took to Instagram to share his last race with Mercedes and the emotion can be felt through the comments left for him. He shared a video that F1 and Mercedes both posted on their pages.

In a video captioned, "If 'Still I Rise' was a Grand Prix @lewishamilton started P16, he finishes a phenomenal P4 in his @mercedesamgf1 swansong!" many fans left supportive comments for the driver.

"A nice farewell from Mercedes. Hope you'll be happy and enjoy your life in Ferrari, Lewis! You're The Best," one fan wrote. Another said, "The bond with the team here is incredible. It's a sign of being a family."

And there were many more feel-good comments where those came from.

"The Greatest Ever. The End of an Era. Forever Family," one person wrote. Another added, "'If we can't win, you should win.' That’s the hardest goodbye."

In another post shared on Hamilton's Instagram page, fans shared their emotional support for the driver after ending his long, successful run with Mercedes.

In a carousel of photos and videos captioned, "TOGETHER WE BELIEVED. ALL LOVE, IT’S BEEN REAL," the emotion of the Hamilton's Mercedes ending can be felt.

Fellow Mercedes driver George Russell wrote, "Legend (goat emoji)." Many viewers agreed with that statement, giving the comment more than 23,000 likes.

"What a legacy," one person wrote in the comments. Another said, "Class end to a historic era. Thank you, Lewis."

Hamilton left his Mercedes team with a sweet message.

"We dreamed alone but together, we believed," he told Peter Bonnington, race engineer, and Toto Wolff, team principal, over the radio. "Thank you for all the courage, the determination and the passion, and for seeing me and supporting me. What started out as a leap of faith turned into a journey into the history books."

After his finish on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, he did some celebratory donuts for the crowd, and then climbed out of his car giving a double thumbs-up as the crowd chanted his name.

Hamilton's time with Mercedes was the most successful team-driver partnership in F1 history.

Hamilton has a non-alcoholic tequila alternative brand called Almave that was served in many locations around Las Vegas during F1 weekend in November.

"Almave is the first premium non-alcoholic Blue Agave spirit made in Jalisco, Mexico that does not compromise on taste or quality. With Iván Saldaña's expertise and Lewis Hamilton's passion for greatness, we blended tradition and innovation to create a revolutionary product," Almave's website reads. "The result? A Blue Agave Spirit from the highlands of Jalisco expressed without alcohol."

Almave's Instagram page shared a tribute to Hamilton's Mercedes era coming to an end captioned, "Salud to the end of an era beyond compare. What a season, what a race! Here’s to our campeón @lewishamilton."

Congrats to Hamilton on his amazing career with Mercedes. Cheers to his new chapter with Ferrari!