2024 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Highlights

Lewis Hamilton finished fourth with team-mate George Russell fifth in Sunday’s 2024 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The race marked the 246th and last Grand Prix for the team and Lewis, the most successful driver-team partnership in the sport’s history.

Starting from P16, Lewis used an offset Hard-Medium strategy to cut through the field, taking P4 on the last lap. Meanwhile, George was on the conventional Medium-Hard strategy and progressed from his starting position of P5. After the race, co-owner, CEO, and Team Principal Toto Wolff called Lewis’s race “the drive of a world champion.” Congratulations go to McLaren, along with our Mercedes AMG High-Performance Powertrains colleagues at Brixworth, as the Papaya squad claimed this year’s Constructors’ Championship.

George Russell

Lewis had a fantastic race, so I want to say a big well done to him. He has been an incredible team-mate and someone I admired when I was karting and racing in the junior formula. He is not only the greatest driver of all time but is the type of person that every racing driver should aspire to be. I wish him well in his next challenge and look forward to battling him on track.

Today, I didn’t have the pace to compete for more than P4. I’ve not had the speed all weekend, and ending the season like that is a shame. We need to go away and understand why that was. That said, there are many positives we can take away from the season. We have got back to winning races and, on occasion, have been competing right at the front on merit. We know there is more we need to do to compete for championships, but we are all determined to make progress and do so next year. Finally, congratulations to McLaren on winning the Constructors’ Championship. They have been a worthy adversary all season and are deserving winners.

Lewis Hamilton

That was a tough but delightful race. I had to bide my time at the beginning on the Hard tyre and struggled to progress. Coming through the field on the medium compound in the final stages felt great, though. To come through the field from P16 and make it back to P4 was awesome. I’m really happy with how my evening and the car felt. It was a good way to end our time together!

After the chequered flag, I was focused on just taking it all in, knowing that this was my last time in a Mercedes cockpit and savouring the emotions. I want to hold on to that moment, so I just sat there, contemplating everything we’ve been through together, all the ups and downs, and the success we’ve enjoyed. I can’t tell you how much I am going to miss this team. I’ve worked with them every day for the last 12 years and there is so much love there. That won’t disappear, no matter that we will be racing each other on track next year.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO

We have spent 12 years with Lewis. It is not only the longest driver and team partnership in the sport’s history but also the most successful. A relationship of that length and a journey like that creates a bond, trust, and shared values that are rare nowadays. It is a period of time that we will always hold close to our hearts and one that I personally will treasure forever. We all wanted to end on a high despite knowing that whatever happened in our final race today didn’t impact our legacy. I am so glad we were able to do so. He will always be a part of our family, and if it isn’t us winning on track, we hope that it is him.

Without the bollard getting in Lewis’s way yesterday in Qualifying, I think he could have fought for victory. He was quick throughout today and made the alternative strategy work well. He drove like a world champion. That is befitting of our time together and a real statement. George had a more challenging time with it. He hasn’t had the pace in the car this weekend to fight for the podium, but he did well to bring home solid points.

Congratulations to McLaren on their success in the Constructors’ Championship. They have done a fantastic job this year. They have built a strong team with good engineering, good leadership, and good drivers. They are fully deserving of this year’s title. We are pleased for our colleagues at Brixworth too; this is a success also for Mercedes Motorsport and HPP. While we know that the work team is the absolute key priority, seeing a customer team do so well is great.

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