Lewis Hamilton‘s streak of woeful performances continued at the Brazilian GP as well despite the recent upturn in performance. The Briton suffered from an extremely mediocre chassis as he was unable to move up the pecking order. Hence, the 39-year-old shared a heartfelt but cryptic message at the end of the race indicating that the Brazil weekend might be his last time with the team.
Mercedes has started to showcase a keen interest in the prodigy Kimi Antonelli after signing him with the team for the 2025 season. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton‘s disinterest in racing with Brackley due to disappointing pace was more than evident in the races. As a result, the Brit noted that if it was his last time to perform with the team then it was a shame to end it on such a note.
If this is the last time I get to perform it was a shame it wasn’t great but (I am) grateful for you. Lewis Hamilton via team radio🚨| “Mercedes have said there are no plans for Lewis Hamilton to be absent from the next race in Las Vegas following the seven-time world champion’s mysterious radio message after the Brazilian Grand Prix. “#F1 || #BrazilGP 🇧🇷 pic.
twitter. com/zpZZ7jFx4v— sim (@sim3744) November 5, 2024 Hence, multiple people speculated that the seven-time world champion was going to be replaced by Kimi Antonelli for the three remaining races. However, Mercedes broke the silence over the matter to PA News and provided more clarity.
The team representative noted that they had no plans of eliminating Hamilton for the upcoming Las Vegas GP and subsequent races. RELATEDEx-F1 driver SLAMS Red Bull’s ‘arrogance’ over Max Verstappen’s Qualifying fiasco at InterlagosFred Vasseur focusing on ‘next year’s project’ amidst Lewis Hamilton’s arrivalFerrari is also in preparation for Lewis Hamilton’s arrival as the Italian constructor in the coming season. Maranello has stopped implementing upgrades to the SF-24 chassis and is working on the next year’s chassis.
Fred Vasseur noted that the team had been preparing for the next year’s project for months already and was looking forward to Hamilton’s entry. We’ve been focused on next year’s project for months. Fred Vasseur told scuderiafans.
netFred Vasseur and Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)Mercedes has also reportedly planned a mega farewell for Hamilton following his exit in the coming season. The team is definitely going to miss having the seven-time world champion around and working together closely for over 12 years. Moreover, Ferrari’s recently improving form is a highly motivating and positive factor for the 39-year-old’s entry in the coming season.
Hamilton had no shot at the championship contention this season due to Mercedes’ degrading form. The Briton still scored two highly coveted race wins with the team with one being on his home soil. Hence, despite not being able to end the season on a high, Hamilton will still leave the team with great happy memories.
RELATEDHelmut Marko reveals he won $100 bet against Max Verstappen’s race engineer GP over the Dutchman’s Interlagos triumph
