Lewis Hamilton makes ‘certain feelings’ admission after final Mercedes race

Lewis Hamilton admitted there were “certain feelings” within Mercedes when he confirmed he was leaving for Ferrari, as it was not “easy for people to accept and to get over” – but that has been overridden by “real love” come his final race with the team.

The seven-time World Champion brought his 12-season stint with the Silver Arrows to a close with a P4 finish from 16th on the grid in Abu Dhabi, passing team-mate George Russell on the last lap to cap off his race.

Lewis Hamilton expands on ‘ups and downs’ of final Mercedes season

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Hamilton is currently on a tour of several key destinations for Mercedes as he says goodbye to key partners and stakeholders, in a selection of pre-planned activities as he prepares to head for Ferrari next season.

That did not stop the emotion from flowing in Abu Dhabi where he seven-time World Champion admitted there were initial “certain feelings” about his departure within the team.

As time has passed, however, how his final races with the Silver Arrows have been handled suggests that “love conquers all” within Mercedes – with Hamilton having achieved six of his seven World Championships as one of their drivers.

While the team has struggled by comparison in the ground effect era, Hamilton took two victories in his final year as a Mercedes driver, and has acknowledged the roller coaster of emotions he felt at Yas Marina over the weekend.

“I think what’s evident, I think, with any relationship is you have your ups and downs. And I think this year we’ve definitely, as a team, had our ups and downs,” Hamilton explained to media including PlanetF1.com in Abu Dhabi.

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“There’s been certain feelings because I’ve chosen to go a certain way, and it’s not been easy for people to accept and to get over. But then, bit by bit through the year, what’s come through is that there’s real love at the end of the day.

“There’s board members from Mercedes who have stood by and supported me all these years who were upset at the beginning, but then were like today, ‘you will always be a part of the family’ – so it just shows that love conquers all, and I think there is a lot of love between us.

“I mean, this weekend, on Thursday with the team, surprised me upstairs, and that was super emotional up there.

“I ain’t got no more tears, really, everything came out then.”

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