Lewis Hamilton has shared a heartfelt statement on social media.
Lewis Hamilton has shared a heartfelt statement about leaving Mercedes following the conclusion of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
The Brit has opened up on how he has now digested that the race, in which he finished fifth, will be his last for Mercedes in Europe as he begins to prepare for his move to Ferrari next year.
Writing on Instagram, Hamilton touched upon how he is gradually coming to terms with the significance of the switch, having joined Mercedes at the end of 2012 and enjoyed six Drivers’ Championships with the team.
He explained: “Leaving Monza, it hit me that it was the last European race this year. The last time I’ll be in my room in engineering that’s been my home for 12 years.
“This is such a unique time in my life, one that continues to bring out a lot of emotions. What I feel the most is pride and gratitude. The memories will last forever, as will the memories I make next year.”
Hamilton did well at Monza despite facing challenges caused by the hot weather in Italy.
On the day of the race, the temperature rose to over 30 degrees, which affected many drivers, particularly Hamilton.
He claimed that his car got very hot and sitting inside felt like being in a sauna without shorts.
The seven-time world champion is hoping that the problem with overheating can be fixed in the upcoming races, especially since the next trips will be to Azerbaijan and Singapore, which can also be hot during this time of year.
Hamilton is looking forward to winning more races for Mercedes. He recently ended a long streak without a win by winning the British Grand Prix in July. Mercedes drivers Hamilton and George Russell faced challenges in Italy due to the high ambient temperature, which caused the cockpit to become hotter than their body temperature.
This made it difficult for them to cool down, as the heat continued to increase.
“Now that they are accustomed to driving in challenging conditions, it becomes even more difficult during the hottest races, which really pushes them to their limits.”