As Lewis Hamilton is about to say goodbye to Mercedes after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2024 this weekend, his disappointing season raises questions. He will join Scuderia Ferrari in 2025, and the growing performance gap between him and his teammate George Russell is quite worrying.
Between underperformance and troubling remarks about his speed, the Briton seems far from his best. However, Ferrari, his future employer, remains optimistic about his abilities. Let’s try to understand the situation together.
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A rollercoaster F1 season for Hamilton
The 2024 season (and truthfully, the 2023 and 2022 seasons as well) has been challenging for Lewis Hamilton. With a W15 that is difficult to handle and understand, he often struggled to keep up with his teammate George Russell. There’s been a noticeable drop in motivation in the last few races, resulting in avoidable mistakes, like in Qatar, where an early start and speeding in the pit lane left him in an anonymous 12th place. Hamilton himself didn’t hide his lack of motivation, even stating, “I’m clearly not as fast anymore” after qualifying. Yet, his impressive second place in Las Vegas after starting 10th reminds us that he remains a formidable driver when his F1 car works. While the W15 didn’t allow him to fully unlock his potential, his isolated performances show that the fire still burns in this 7X Formula 1 World Champion.
Ferrari plays the calm card
At Ferrari, the message is clear: no doubt about Hamilton’s capabilities. Frédéric Vasseur, the team principal, brushes off any concerns. “Look at his 50 laps in Las Vegas. Starting from P10 and finishing just behind Russell, that’s impressive,” he said. Ferrari sees Hamilton as a key asset for 2025, particularly in his quest for an eighth world title alongside Charles Leclerc. After three tough years at Mercedes, a change of scenery might do him good if he can adapt to his new team. And Ferrari seems ready to provide him with a car capable of challenging Red Bull, which has dominated for far too long. The real challenge for Lewis Hamilton will be to integrate quickly and effectively at Ferrari, as he has only changed teams once over 10 years ago.
A final tribute lap at Mercedes
The 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be an emotional moment for all fans of the British driver. After 12 years marked by 6 drivers’ titles and 8 constructors’ titles, Mercedes and Hamilton are closing a historic chapter. Despite a tough season, team principal Toto Wolff prefers to focus on the shared successes: “Nothing can erase those incredible years.” And there have been successes, during those years of dominance by the Silver Arrows. As Mercedes prepares to bet on its young talents, like Kimi Antonelli, Hamilton will head to Maranello for a new chapter. But before that, his final weekend under the silver colors promises to be memorable, so let’s enjoy this already legendary moment. It is even rumored that Mercedes will pay tribute to Lewis with a purple and yellow livery.
This article explores Lewis Hamilton’s challenging end of F1 season, the doubts surrounding his performance, and Ferrari’s confidence ahead of his arrival in 2025. Between a final tribute lap at Mercedes and renewed hopes with Scuderia, the future of the seven-time champion still promises to be thrilling.
Images: Mercedes-Benz archives
