Mercedes has admitted an unwillingness to commit to the remaining timescale Lewis Hamilton has planned in Formula 1 prompted his impending exit from the team.
Hamilton is gearing up to conduct his last appearance with Mercedes at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as he prepares to begin a new venture at Ferrari in 2025.
The Briton made the decision to end his prolonged association with the German marque over the previous winter, despite having penned an extension last September.
However, Hamilton’s contract being a one-plus-one agreement comprised a break clause which he elected to activate once Ferrari came calling with a multi-term deal.
Prior to that, Hamilton had reiterated his wish to conclude his career at Mercedes, the marque that has powered him to seven Drivers’ titles and a record 105 victories.
The eventual compromise on a short-term agreement, though, emanated from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff wanting to retain an open mind on the squad’s driver line-up.
Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin has acknowledged that Hamilton’s choice to switch to Ferrari has now ensured he will bow out on his terms.
“It was a brave and bold decision, but you can totally understand why he’s done it,” Shovlin said via the BBC.
“He wanted to drive for more years than we were prepared to commit to.
“He wanted to have another chapter in his career that was about Ferrari, and it’s a great challenge for him.
“As well as driving, he is still making an impact on the sport and diversity within the sport.
“He has more he wants to do there, and it’s far easier for him to do that from the driving seat. He has such a prominent voice globally.
“That is a big part of his objectives, as well as winning races and hopefully winning the eighth championship.”
Hamilton’s recent struggles
Hamilton’s glittering success with Mercedes has dried up in recent times amid the team’s troubles to get a grasp on the current ground effect cars introduced in 2022.
But Hamilton also has not gelled with the latest machines – with an “unpredictable” Mercedes W15, in particular, witnessing him struggle to unlock speed over one lap.
“If you look for a common theme, we have a car that is difficult to turn in the slower corners,
and the way the drivers have to turn it is by sliding the rear on the way in and sliding the rear on the power on the way out,” Shovlin explained.
“That adds [tyre] temperature, and dealing with that problem Lewis has found quite difficult.
“You could argue that Lewis was head and shoulders the best in the previous set of regulations. He certainly found driving the cars second nature.
“Lewis would set up the car so that, as the [rear of the] car came up [during braking] and you gained pitch, it would help you turn the car, and he relied on those elements.
“And that was how you generated performance in the previous set of regulations.
“He has struggled more with the way these cars run.
“These cars you need to run lower, you need to run stiffer, they are banging into the ground more, you haven’t got as much movement in the platform from low to high speed.”
Hamilton’s last Mercedes hurrah
Nevertheless, Hamilton did get to celebrate victories again with his long-time team this season, breaking his extensive win drought with a ninth triumph at Silverstone.
“It was just lovely to be a part of it, particularly in Silverstone,” Shovlin added. “It was lovely to see him up there. It was lovely to see what it meant to him.
“It was nice having known how difficult it had been for him to sort of keep asking that question: ‘Have I won my last race?’ Not knowing whether it’s ahead of him.
“Ultimately you do it for those memories. That’s why the sport’s so fun and addictive and enjoyable. It’s being part of moments like that.”
READ MORE – Ferrari ‘not worried at all’ about Lewis Hamilton despite F1 Qatar GP woes
