Lewis Hamilton finished fourth with team-mate George Russell fifth in Sunday’s 2024 F1 season finale at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The race was Hamilton’s 246th and last Grand Prix for Mercedes.
Teammate George Russell revealed post-race how happy he was that the seven-time F1 Drivers’ Champion had such a strong final race.
Russell also reflected on what he has learnt from Hamilton over the years and the impact this has had on him both inside and outside of the cockpit.
A strategical payoff
Hamilton had it all do in Abu Dhabi after starting from P16 (having qualified P18) but an offset Hard-Medium strategy enabled him to carve his way though the field to have stronger quicker tyres at the end and even overtake his teammate for P4 on the final lap.
The overtake seemed inevitable as Russell was on the conventional Medium-Hard strategy after starting from P5.
It was put to Russell that he seemed pretty cheerful for a fifth place finish.
However, his comments which followed showed that it the joy was a combination of it being the end of the season and also that the race had been a fitting end for Hamilton’s Mercedes tenure.
“The season has come to a close now,” said the 26-year-old.
“We’ve been off the pace this whole weekend. I felt like it was quite a fitting way to finish with Lewis, just one second apart after these three years.
“To be honest, I’m actually just really happy for him that he had a great final race because I think he deserved it.
“The team deserved to give him the send-off. Just pleased it’s come to a close now.”
No need for a reminder
With the race in the closing stages and Hamilton’s pass on his teammate looking ever more likely, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had spoke to Russell on team radio to keep things clean.
When asked, Russell explained that this would always have been the case.
“No, of course, Toto doesn’t need to say it,” replied the British racer.
“Lewis and I have got so much respect for one another. We always race hard and fairly and come down to the wire.
“Ultimately, for me, having these three years together, I’ve learnt so much from Lewis as a driver, as a person.
“Today he deserved to finish ahead of me because he’s been quicker this whole weekend.
“As I said, I’m just proud to have had these years.”
Learning from a champion
Having reflected on his race, Russell was then asked for his abiding memory of three years working with Hamilton.
The man who famously waited for a Hamilton autograph as a boy explained how his departing teammate had shown him the impact that being a driver in the pinnacle of motorsport can have outside of the cockpit as well as inside it.
“To be honest, I think just actually seeing first-hand what a role model he is. I think I sort of recognised from Lewis that we’ve all got this platform and we have to use it correctly.
“That’s become even more apparent to me when my young nieces and nephews are watching TikTok and YouTube and Netflix.
“I spend a bit of time with Toto’s son who also, he and his friend, see Netflix and all of this stuff.
“How you deal with the victories, how you deal with the losses, you inspire the young kids.
“Also, this weekend when I look back to that photo I had of Lewis and I when I was a kid, I looked up to him. The same way all these kids look up to us.”
Russell stated that this was probably the biggest life lesson that he has learnt from the F1 superstar and how important it is to be mindful of his comments: “Sometimes, even if you want to really express something, there’s hundreds of millions of people watching. The way you do it is super important.”
All the components for success
A 24-race season was always going to be a challenging one for everyone but Mercedes probably had not expected a season of such highs and lows.
McLaren has shown how quickly things can turn around in F1 and so that will no doubt fill the teams at Brackley and Brixworth with confidence – as no doubt will the 8 F1 Constructors’ titles that they already achieved in recent years.
Russell explained how the team have been reflecting on their partnership with Hamilton and the fact that many of the personnel who were so successful at that time are still in the ranks of the Silver Arrows.
“We had a do on Thursday night all together and looking back through some of his memories.
“I think as painful as these three years have been, seeing all of these memories as well reminds the team that we can do it.
“We have the same team as was there during Lewis’s glory years. Lewis even said after the debrief yesterday, everyone had their head in their hands after what happened in qualifying.
“He said, ‘look, let’s stand tall and let’s not forget all these pole positions and wins that we’ve had together’.
“I think it’s been a very nice way to finish this season. It has been a tough three years and I think this change for everyone is really going to spark a lot of motivation for everyone.
“I think sometimes change is really much needed,” Russell concluded.
Silver linings to be found
There are many positives Mercedes can take away from the season. They have got back to winning races and, on occasion, have been competing right at the front on merit. They know there is more they need to do to compete for championships and are all determined to make progress next year.
Wolff called Hamilton’s race “the drive of a world champion” and whether Russell goes on to be Mercedes’ next F1 Drivers’ World Champion remains to be seen. Russell had previously said how Hamilton is not only the greatest driver of all time but is the type of person that every racing driver should aspire to be. In Abu Dhabi, Russell lacked the pace to compete for more than P4 but his graciousness in defeat – or rather P5 – shows that the life skills Hamilton has taught him a have certainly been embraced.
There is every reason that even with their talismanic driver having left the team, Russell is ready to lead the team and will once again be challenging for race victories in 2025. Mercedes need to ensure that it is on a consistent basis if they are to be in the hunt for the Constructors’ Championship next year – whilst also keeping an eye on the future as the infamous 2026 gets ever nearer.
