Lewis Hamilton has opened up about the challenges of his final season with Mercedes in 2024, describing it as "really, really, really long" and "tough" following his shocking announcement to join Ferrari in February.
The seven-time World Champion, who will don the famous red overalls from 2025, spent his last year at Mercedes managing the complex aftermath of his decision to leave the team after more than a decade of partnership.
The early announcement of his Ferrari move placed Hamilton in the unprecedented position of competing an entire season knowing he would be departing the Silver Arrows.
Hamilton revealed the emotional toll of managing relationships during his final Mercedes season, describing "lots of turbulence" with long-time colleagues.
Lewis Hamilton is joining Ferrari next seasonReuters"Managing that was really, really, really tough through the whole year. There's so many people and it's affected everybody," Hamilton told Channel 4.
The British driver acknowledged that the emotion of his impending departure "has been there all year" and "at every race you turn up."
The announcement of teenage sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli as his successor proved particularly poignant, with Hamilton describing it as "quite emotional" and "very, very, very surreal."
The 2024 season proved particularly challenging for Hamilton on the track, as he struggled to match his teammate's pace in qualifying sessions.
George Russell dominated their head-to-head qualifying battle, outpacing Hamilton in 19 of the 24 races throughout the season.
Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult last few years with Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton endured a difficult last few years with Mercedes
The performance deficit led to a rare moment of vulnerability from Hamilton at the Qatar Grand Prix, where he conceded that he was "not fast anymore."
Despite these challenges, Hamilton managed to secure victories in Britain and Belgium, ending what had been the longest winless streak of his Formula 1 career.
At the Abu Dhabi season finale, Hamilton reflected warmly on his Mercedes legacy, describing his time with the team as "the honour of my life."
"Beyond the upset and people saying 'I can't imagine you in red' to now just saying to me, 'I wish you all the best, thank you so much for everything we've done,' and tears. It's really beautiful," Hamilton said.
Looking ahead to his Ferrari future, he added with a laugh: "I can't believe that I'm going to be in red next year. It looks good on me, so hopefully I can make that work."
Former Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg offered insight into the team's efforts to maintain fairness during Hamilton's final season.
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Toto Wolff spent 11 years working with Lewis Hamilton
PASpeaking on the Sky F1 podcast, Rosberg highlighted team principal Toto Wolff's radio message encouraging Hamilton to chase Russell in Abu Dhabi as evidence of their commitment to equal treatment.
"The pressure was on Mercedes and I could see, for Toto, it was so important to show the world that there was no preferential treatment towards George," Rosberg explained.
Mercedes consistently denied suggestions of Hamilton being frozen out, ensuring he received the same equipment and opportunities as Russell throughout the season.
