Earlier this year, Lewis Hamilton announced he would be joining Ferrari in 2024. This move will bring an end to his 12-year-long glittering association with Mercedes, a team he once insisted he would always prefer over Ferrari.

Hamilton won six titles with Mercedes, becoming the most decorated F1 driver of all time with the Brackley-based team. In a 2020 interview with Sky Sports F1, he expressed his hope that his success with Mercedes would create a lasting legacy.

With Toto Wolff in front of him, Hamilton was asked if the idea of driving for Ferrari was appealing. Even though he always wanted to drive for them and called the prancing horse “incredible“, Hamilton added,

“If you look at Sterling Moss, he’s still a part of the team. They [Mercedes] honor that. You become a part of the legacy and a life partner, which I think is super appealing.”

"you could be a mercedes-benz ambassador for the rest of your life, but don't you fancy doing a michael schumacher and see if you can win in a ferrari?"

lewis : "…ferrari, obviously, is an incredible team. i've never seen what mercedes have done for all their drivers..you… pic.twitter.com/EUjE3VafLT

— sim (@sim3744) September 6, 2024

Hamilton has a deep love for Mercedes, which was his home even before joining its F1 team. Mercedes-Benz helped sponsor his junior career and got him into F1 with McLaren in 2007, one of its customers.

After all they’ve been through together, Hamilton wanted to be associated with the brand forever. However, it seems the top brass at the German company may not have shared the same feeling.

During their 2023 contract negotiations, Hamilton reportedly asked for a multi-year deal and a post-career ambassadorial role. Mercedes rejected both and offered him a 1+1 contract, which he initially accepted. However, he wanted stability, and since Ferrari was a dream destination, he decided to jump ship when they came knocking.

However, that doesn’t mean their partnership will end on a sour note. Hamilton recently reflected on the emotional farewell in a social media post, mentioning that the conclusion of the European leg of races in 2024 marked the last time he would step into the team’s engineering room at the factory.

Hamilton giving his all for Mercedes

Hamilton will suit up for Mercedes for eight more races before bidding farewell. But he isn’t relaxing or focusing on his future just yet. He continues to push hard to achieve the best results for the team and still gets frustrated when things don’t go his way.

In Monza last weekend, Hamilton was disappointed with his qualifying. He took the blame on his shoulders completely, instead of blaming the W15’s performance.

“Completely unacceptable. And it’s me. Nothing else. Nobody else,” the 39-year-old said in the post-qualifying press conference.

#F1 | Lewis Hamilton on Kimi Antonelli announcement:

“I’ve known for ages, so…I knew it would be announced this morning.”

“I definitely woke up and it was very, very, very surreal to just have, at least officially confirmed, my seat is going that I held onto for so long.”… pic.twitter.com/41lCUB3UmK

— deni (@fiagirly) August 31, 2024

Hamilton is also keeping an eye on Mercedes’ future and was one of the first to congratulate his 2025 replacement, Kimi Antonelli. After his disappointing Italian GP at Monza, Hamilton remarked that Mercedes deserved better and hinted that Antonelli would deliver the results the team needs next season.