Departing Hamilton says farewell to Mercedes staff

Lewis Hamilton told staff "Mercedes has changed my life" as he said farewell to his colleagues at the Formula 1 team.

Hamilton joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013 and secured six of his seven championships with the team, which is based in Brackley and Brixworth, in Northamptonshire.

The 39-year-old also won 84 of his record 105 races with the Silver Arrows. He is joining Ferrari for the 2025 season.

Hamilton from Stevenage, Hertfordshire, said he had "dreamed of one day being in Formula 1 and being a world champion".

Hamilton said: "Definitely back then it was me and my two parents.

"I didn't know there would be a huge amount of people that I'd get to work with who would be the ones to lift me up and take me on that journey."

He said he would always be wishing them "the absolute best" and thanked them for the part they played in his career.

Hamilton also visited the team's Brackley factory as part of an end-of-season farewell tour alongside teammate George Russell and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

He won two races in his final season with the team, including July's British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and he finished the 2024 drivers' championship in seventh, behind Russell in sixth.

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