After weeks of bickering and verbal exchanges, Mercedes are now preparing for Lewis Hamilton's grand finale in a big hug and total peace.
Toto Wolff spoke ahead of Abu Dhabi, reflecting on the good times and indicated that Lewis Hamilton may continue with a rival next year, but he will always remain a member of the Mercedes family:
“After twelve incredible years, we have reached the point where this weekend Lewis and I will write the final chapter of our shared story. Let’s put our hand on our hearts, because it hasn’t been an ordinary journey! When we started working together in 2013, we never imagined how far we would come… We have won six individual world titles, along with eight constructors’ titles. Along the way, we have achieved eighty-four wins, seventy-eight pole positions, one hundred and fifty-three podiums, and have made Formula 1 history with the most successful driver-team relationship ever. Many moments of success and peaks, along with many difficulties we have faced. However, our relationship is much more than a statistic, it is a legacy that goes beyond sport.
There is, for example, our common commitment to make F1 fairer, our fight for inclusion. We started together and working with Lewis Hamilton has been a huge honour. This weekend will not be just a race weekend, but a celebration. We celebrate and close everything I have spoken about, we take our leave and try to take momentum and strength from this for the future. We open a new chapter with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, but now it is more important than ever to close our joint work with Lewis Hamilton well. Thank you, and once again, let's do it for the last time!” - said an emotional Toto Wolff to the Mercedes success story.
