Lewis Hamilton chose his Ferrari moment perfectly – but one man deserved better

Three years after the toughest day of Lewis Hamilton’s career in Abu Dhabi, this final lap at the Yas Marina circuit was much gentler. There was no questionable interference here; just pure racing.

Of course, it didn’t really matter. Hamilton does not participate in F1, a month before his 40th birthday^th birthday, to finish fourth. Who knows how disturbed his teammate was in defense? But flying over the outside of George Russell in the Marina section of Lap 58 reminded the world – even if TV coverage was excruciatingly cut – why Ferrari pursued the Briton for half a dozen years.

It was also the last time his race engineer, Peter “Bono” Bonnington, uttered his iconic slogan, ordering his driver to push hard.

“When [Bono] “It was hammer time, I noticed it then… that’s the last time I’ll hear that,” Hamilton said after the race. There were no tears, just a somber look in Yas Marina’s media pen.

“It’s history now and all my races have been powered by Mercedes, and all the success we’ve had, I’ve just sat there thinking about it all and contemplating how great this journey has been.

“I’m going to miss them – I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss them.” This is going to be a huge amount.

But Hamilton’s charge of 16^th placing fourth in the fourth-fastest car on the grid shows why Scuderia president John Elkann didn’t think twice when Hamilton gave him the green light in January, parting with £40m sterling per year to recruit the sport’s most decorated driver. . At thirty-nine years old, Hamilton has actually just concluded his worst F1 season in terms of championship position.

But the seven-time world champion is still a master on race days. He knows perfectly how to concoct an overtake, attacking at the opportune moment. He can sharpen his tires optimally. He can judge the larger scenario of the Grand Prix, by forcefully expressing his opinions on the radio.

But the statistics tell a slightly paradoxical story this year. He was beaten 19-5 by Russell in head-to-head qualifying matches. He finished seventh, with his worst points total. But he won two races – at Silverstone and Spa – which ended his 31-month winning streak.

When given a car in contention, Hamilton is a different beast. And that’s why his move to Ferrari in 2025 is so scary.

Hamilton’s charge on the pitch on Sunday was only bettered by his next year’s teammate, Charles Leclerc, who fought from 19^th in third place as Ferrari narrowly missed out on the constructors’ title, with race winner Lando Norris leading McLaren to glory. The Monegasque is one of the fastest drivers on a Formula 1 lap and Hamilton will need to improve his qualifying performance to mount a championship challenge next year. Fortunately, he doesn’t deny this.

On the other hand, spare a thought for the man he replaces.

For such a historic gesture, there would always be someone responsible. Carlos Sainz’s career has been in turmoil ahead of the 2024 campaign, but wins in Melbourne and Mexico (and Singapore last year) represent a driver who, at 30, is at the top of his game and is the professional par Excellency.

This year, Sainz finished fifth in the standings – 55 points ahead of Russell and 87 ahead of Hamilton.

TOP-10 – 2024 DRIVER RANKINGS

1. Max Verstappen – 437 points (champion)

2. Lando Norris – 374 points

3. Charles Leclerc – 356 points

4. Oscar Piastri – 292 points

5. Carlos Sainz – 290 points

6. George Russell – 245 points

7. Lewis Hamilton – 223 points

8. Sergio Pérez – 152 points

9. Fernando Alonso – 70 points

10. Pierre Gasly – 42 points

He finished here in second place, on his last ride in scarlet red. And while there is optimism that the Williams team he joins is on track to be in contention during the next round of regulations in 2026, it is very much a project in the long term. The Spaniard can consider himself extremely unlucky not to replace at Red Bull or Mercedes next year.

That’s why, despite all of Hamilton’s hard work over 24 grueling races in the cockpit, his best decision this year was to put pen to paper before the season started. If Hamilton waited even a month or two (Sainz won the third race in Australia), the decision might not have been as simple as it seemed – from Ferrari’s point of view – in early 2024.

But we knew it all year: Hamilton to Ferrari is a done deal. And while the seven-time world champion pulled off a few performance donuts down the stretch in Abu Dhabi, the season finale reminded us all of his magic.

As his now former boss, Toto Wolff, said: “Lewis had the dynamism of a world champion. »The road to a record number 8 starts now.