'100% Mercedes Driver Now': Hamilton Vows 'Nothing Changes' In Last Season With Mercedes

Wednesday, 28 February 2024 at 14:15

Updated at Wednesday, 28 February 2024 at 16:11

Lewis Hamilton will leave Mercedes after the 2024 F1 season, but nothing changes for the Brit, despite committing to another team.

The 2024 season will be a special one of the seven-time World Champion, as it will be his 12th, and last year with Mercedes, the team that helped him to win six of his seven World Championships.

The 39-year-old signed a contract with Ferrari during the off-season, which surprised many, especially with the new season just around the corner, a season, during which Hamilton will still drive for Mercedes.

There have been many talks about how will Mercedes handle sharing sensitive data with Hamilton, as he could potentially use that to his advantage, but for the 103-time Grand Prix winner, nothing changes ahead of the new season.

Ahead of the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix, he spoke to the media, saying that the objective for him stays the same - to deliver for the team.

"Nothing changes. I will always love this team, everyone was incredibly understanding and supportive. Everyone knows I'm here to deliver for them, same as every other year."

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"I'm very fortunate at Mercedes, I've been able to be myself and that will be no different at Ferrari. I'm 100% a Mercedes driver now, and I don't want this distracting me from doing a job."

On top of that, Hamilton admitted that the season will be very emotional for him, as there will be many "lasts." He will often encounter various activities, which he was used to doing regularly, but this time around, he knows it's the last time he does it with the German team.

"Every week is emotional, the seat fit is the last seat fit, the winter test is the last winter test. It will be emotional throughout the year."

Still, despite a surprising decision, Hamilton claimed that the atmosphere seems to be good in Mercedes ahead of 2024, especially since they seem to be ahead in terms of their car compared to last year.

"The atmosphere is good in the team. Everyone is really focused. It's always an exciting time of the year when you see everyone come together and getting on with their job. There's great motivation within the team and we have a better platform to work off from this year."