Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes farewell tour begins with Kuala Lumpur trip

Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes farewell tour is well underway, with his first stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Hamilton has been a frequent visitor to Malaysia over the years due to a key Mercedes sponsor being based there – Petronas.

With Hamilton departing Mercedes at the end of the year, he is saying his final goodbyes before his seismic switch to Ferrari.

On Tuesday, Hamilton was pictured in front of the iconic Petronas Towers.

Hamilton’s farewell tour continues on Wednesday, with the seven-time world champion due to have lunch with the Mercedes board in Stuttgart.

Later this week, he will then say his goodbyes at Brackley and Brixworth in the United Kingdom – Mercedes’ F1 bases.

In a short clip on Petronas Motorsport’s Instagram channel, Hamilton said: “It is obviously a very emotional time, coming back from Abu Dhabi straight into my farewell.

“I am back at the twin [Petronas] Towers. I always love coming here. I always get a fantastic welcome from everyone here in Malaysia and KL.

“I am excited to see the Petronas team, who have been like my family for the past 12 years, so I hope it is not the last time I get to come back, but I am looking forward to seeing everyone today.”

Hamilton misses Abu Dhabi test

With Hamilton fulfilling his contractual commitments at Mercedes, he is missing out on taking part in the end-of-season test in Abu Dhabi.

The likes of Carlos Sainz, Nico Hulkenberg, and Esteban Ocon are all in action for their new teams - but Hamilton isn’t.

Due to his contract situation and the aforementioned farewell tour, Hamilton won’t be able to drive a Ferrari F1 car for the first time until early next year.

The good news for Ferrari is that they have their own track at Fiorano, which should allow Hamilton to acclimate to his new team.

As per F1’s regulations, Hamilton will be allowed to drive the 2022 Ferrari car at some point ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain.