After the last few weeks of swearing and verbal exchanges, Mercedes is now preparing for Lewis Hamilton's farewell race in great harmony and complete peace.
Toto Wolff spoke before Abu Dhabi and reflected on the good times, and indicated that Lewis Hamilton may continue with a rival next year, but he will always remain a member of the Mercedes family:
“After twelve incredible years, Lewis and I have reached the point where this weekend we will write the final chapter of our shared story. Let’s put our hands on our hearts, because this has been no ordinary journey! When we started working together in 2013, we never dreamed we would reach such heights together… We have won six individual world championships, as well as eight constructors’ titles. In the process, we have achieved eighty-four victories, seventy-eight pole positions, one hundred and fifty-three podiums and written the most successful driver-team relationship in Formula 1 history. There have been many, many successful moments and high points, and so many difficulties that we have experienced together. But our relationship is much more than statistics, it is a legacy that goes beyond the sport.
There is, for example, the common aspiration to make F1 fairer, our common fight for inclusion. We started this together and it was a huge honour to work with Lewis Hamilton. This weekend will not be a simple race weekend, but a celebration. We will celebrate and close everything I have talked about, we will say goodbye and try to gain momentum and strength from this for the future. We will open a new chapter with the help of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, but now more than anything else, it is important to close the joint work with Lewis Hamilton nicely. Thank you and let's do it again, one last time!” - Toto Wolff said an emotional farewell to the Mercedes success smith.
