Lewis Hamilton speaks publicly for first time on “emotional” Mercedes exit and Ferrari switch

Just last August, Hamilton agreed to a two-year extension of his contract with Mercedes. However, during the offseason, he surprised the sports community by deciding to terminate his agreement a year ahead of time and join Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton expresses his sense of disbelief in being involved in the last unveiling of his Mercedes car, as he approaches the end of his tenure with the team.

The seven-time champion acknowledges the emotional journey he has gone through, making the decision to transfer to Ferrari. Hamilton agreed to extend his contract with Mercedes for two more years in August last year.

However, in a surprising move during the winter, he decided to terminate the agreement one year ahead and join the Scuderia team.

The dominant topic during pre-season discussions has revolved around Hamilton’s high-profile transfer. Despite this, the 39-year-old remains determined to concentrate on his goals and aspirations with the Silver Arrows for the upcoming season.

Speaking publicly for the first time since his blockbuster move to Ferrari for 2025 was confirmed, Hamilton said: “(The last few weeks) have obviously been emotional and it is very surreal to be here. The focus through the whole of winter training is getting the team back to where we once were. We have had these difficult couple of years which have been really grounding for us. It has helped us regroup and really look at things.”

Hamilton, who joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013, won six of his record-equalling seven world championships with the Silver Arrows. The Brit, who fielded just three questions from the Mercedes moderator during a brief nine-minute launch, added: “I came here in 2013 so 11 years with the team and now I am starting my 12th.

“It is such a privilege to work with a group of people where you see the work they do over the winter and you see a car come together at the beginning of the year and it is the most exciting part of the season. We have to be diligent, maximise practice and even one lap, George and I might get in the rain today will give us a feeling of what is to come.”

Team principal Toto Wolff, standing alongside his soon-to-be departing star driver, added: “It has been a very busy winter. It will be our last season with Lewis so we are keen on bringing a quick car.”

Hamilton, without a win in two years, and team-mate George Russell, will get their first taste of this season’s Mercedes during a shakedown test at a wet Silverstone on Wednesday. Russell, meanwhile, is confident heading into the new season.

He stated that their team has gained knowledge and improved during the previous two seasons. Although they faced challenges, he firmly believes that the experiences they have gone through will enhance their capabilities in the future.

The entire team has dedicated tremendous effort, and they aspire that the W15 represents a significant progress for them. Throughout the previous year, we managed to improve some of the more unpleasant attributes of the W14. However, our car still had a limited range of conditions under which it could operate smoothly.

Once we exceeded those conditions, the car became challenging to handle. If we can further expand the range of conditions in which the car performs well, it will instill confidence in us as drivers. Subsequently, it will be easier to improve our lap times.