Mercedes reveals Hamilton’s ‘secret’ 2019 F1 seat fitting

Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has completed his seat fitting for the 2019 season, a Mercedes video has revealed.

Hamilton, who won 11 races on his way to beating Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel to a fifth world title in 2018, joined teammate Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes’ factory in Brackley this weekend for the team’s Christmas party.

Both drivers met children and their families from the Make-a-Wish Foundation who were being treated to a tour of the reigning world champions’ Brackley-base.

Hamilton and Bottas also completed their respective seat fittings for Mercedes’ 2019 F1 challenger, the W10, which will feature the revised aerodynamic regulations being introduced from next season in a bid to help improve the quality of wheel-to-wheel racing.

The Briton was filmed trying out the steering lock and preparing his cockpit setup in a mocked-up chassis, a procedure carried out by all drivers ahead of the new campaign.

Mercedes heads into 2019 aiming to equal Ferrari's overall record of six consecutive constructors’ championships won between 1999-2004, having already taken a clean sweep of titles during the V6 hybrid era (2014-2018).