Lewis Hamilton Mercedes F1 exit ‘could not have been more well handled’

Mercedes F1 technical director James Allison believes Lewis Hamilton’s exit from the team “could not have been more well handled”.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton waved time on his illustrious 12-year Mercedes career at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last weekend ahead of his blockbuster switch to Ferrari for 2025.

Hamilton turned in a stunning drive to come through the field from 16th and finish fourth ahead of teammate George Russell in an emotional final appearance with the Silver Arrows.

While Allison hoped for more of a “fairy tale ending” for Hamilton and Mercedes, he said the 39-year-old Briton could not have handled himself better.

“I think it would be very hard to summarise such a complex set of feelings,” Allison said.

“We would of course love this whole season, let alone the last race, to be more of a fairy tale ending to a partnership that has set all the benchmarks in Formula 1. It would have been fitting if we could have finished on the podium at the very least or ideally on the top step, but that was not to be.

“That said, I think it could not have been more well handled by Lewis and by the team and I think that owes a massive amount to the respect that there is between Lewis and the team and the huge amount of appreciation for everything we have achieved together.

“Qualifying was a difficult time for Lewis in this event with his run-in with the bollard. He was disappointed, we were even more disappointed for him and yet in the debrief afterwards when we were down in the mouth he was telling us, "Look, put your chins up, we're going to make the most of tomorrow and remember all the times when we've got this right together.”

“I think that is what it feels like. We have had some difficult seasons recently but over the span of this relationship no other driver-team partnership has come close to matching what we have done together and it has just been a fantastic run for all of us and we could not wish him more well than we did on that last day together.”

Hamilton’s week-long Mercedes farewell tour

After ending his Mercedes career on track, Hamilton embarked on a tour to say his goodbyes to the German manufacturer’s employees and sponsors prior to his Ferrari move.

Hamilton stopped off at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on Tuesday to visit Mercedes title sponsor Petronas. He addressed 1,000 staff there and later went to a fan event attended by 3,000 people for a Q&A.

"To come here for the last time as a Mercedes driver has brought up a lot of emotions," Hamilton admitted.

"It is obviously sad in one respect but also beautiful to be able to celebrate everything we’ve done together with our Petronas colleagues and the Malaysian fans.

"It is always so humbling to come here and see the support.”

On Wednesday, Hamilton visited Mercedes’ Stuttgart headquarters before completing his farewell tour back in the UK at the F1 team’s factories in Brackley and Brixworth.