Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr speaks with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (right) at a press conference. AFP
Sakhir: Lewis Hamilton yesterday admitted he expects to ride an emotional rollercoaster this year, his last with Mercedes where he won six of his seven world titles.
The 39-year-old, who will race for Ferrari in 2025, said he had not lost any faith in the team he raced for since 2013 and was confident Mercedes had a bright future.
“It’s the same as any other year. It is emotional and every week will be emotional,” he said ahead of Saturday’s season-opener in Bahrain.
“I truly believe that this team (Mercedes) is going to win another championship. It’s an incredible group of people and it’s really well run.
“Mercedes has such an incredible history and from the board down they are really heavily invested in racing and so many areas.
“And regardless of whether or not this is a championship-winning car, it doesn’t have any bearing on how I feel about it and the next stage of my career.” Hamilton initially held discussions with Ferrari in 2019 and has now agreed to join the iconic Italian team on a “multi-year contract”, replacing Carlos Sainz.
“It’s all about a new chapter in my life and I really feel like I’ve done everything I could possibly do with this team and I’m on the back end of my career.
“I love a challenge and this is the ultimate challenge really -- to go to a team that is incredibly iconic, has an amazing history, but also has not had as much success as I guess as they would have hoped in the past decade or so."
Hamilton added that nothing would change this year at Mercedes who have given him great understanding and support.
