Lewis Hamilton Ends Mercedes Era With Cheers, Tears And A Rousing Drive
Lewis Hamilton ended his glorious 12-year spell at Mercedes with cheers and tears on Sunday after finishing a rousing fourth from starting 16th in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion, who will turn 40 before he races with Ferrari next season, stirred emotions with his driving and his words after a classic recovery drive that saw him pass team-mate George Russell on the final lap. "When he (race engineer Pete Bonnington) said 'hammer time' I did notice, in the moment, that it was the last time I'm going to hear that," said an emotional Hamilton afterwards. "It really clicked for me in that moment. "It was a really, really hard race naturally where I was, I didn't get as great a start as this one here, my team-mate next season (pointing to nearby Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc) and the first stint was really, really difficult.
