Lewis Hamilton’s tear-jerking reaction to final ‘Hammer time’ radio call

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that “it really clicked” when he heard his Mercedes engineer deliver one final ‘Hammer time’ radio message at the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hamilton bowed out of Mercedes with an incredible recovery to finish fourth at the Yas Marina Circuit.

The seven-time world champion overtook teammate George Russell on the final lap with a daring pass around the outside.

Hamilton was spurred on by his race engineer and good friend, Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington.

Bono delivered the infamous ‘it’s Hammer time’ line as Hamilton recovered to finish fourth in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, Hamilton reflected on it: “When he said it was ‘Hammer time’ I did notice in the moment ‘that’s the last I’m going to hear that. It really clicked for me in that moment.

“Really, really hard race. Naturally from where I was. I didn’t get as great a start as this one here, my new teammate [Leclerc]. The first stint was really difficult. I wasn’t losing hope.

“I was just like ‘oh, not going as well as I thought it would’ but I didn’t give up, kept pushing. I was like ‘come on, we can get there’. Switched onto the different tyres, and the car came alive.

“I had a massive gap to close, so just focused on getting absolutely everything from the car and not giving up.

“Wanted to finish on as much of a high, give every ounce of me to the team as they’ve given to me all these years.”

End of an Era for Hamilton and Mercedes

It’s the end of an era for Hamilton and Mercedes.

Hamilton will switch to Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc for the 2025 season.

Hamilton spent 12 years at Mercedes, winning six of his seven titles with the Brackley outfit.

Statistically, the Hamilton-Mercedes combination is the most successful in F1 history.

Hamilton will be hoping to do what the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel weren’t able to do - bring a title home to Maranello with Ferrari next year.