Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes: Pick your favourite moment from past 12 years

Lewis Hamilton will race for Mercedes for the ultimate time on Sunday, bringing to an finish a 12-year partnership that has delivered six drivers’ titles and eight constructors’ championships.

Hamilton, who’s becoming a member of Ferrari in 2025, has achieved 84 of his file 105 Components 1 race victories with the workforce, in addition to 78 of his 104 pole positions.

We’ve got picked out 9 of the perfect Hamilton-Mercedes moments from these 12 years. Remind your self of the main points, then choose your favorite…

This was an exhilarating back-and-forth battle throughout which Nico Rosberg briefly handed team-mate Hamilton, just for the Briton to cut again throughout his nostril to reclaim the lead. Hamilton then repelled one other assault on the next lap, earlier than – in a 10-lap dash to the end after a late security automobile – holding Rosberg behind, regardless of the German having the quicker tender tyres.

Hamilton sealed his third drivers’ championship (and second at Mercedes) by forcing Rosberg right into a mistake throughout a frantic final 10 laps and sweeping by to take the lead. The pair had earlier clashed on the primary lap. Rosberg congratulated Hamilton as they ready for the rostrum interviews, however then appeared livid when Hamilton tossed a ‘second place’ cap in direction of the German, who launched it again.

Hamilton began 14th following a hydraulic failure in qualifying. He was fourth when rain hit elements of the observe with 25 laps to go. Because the observe bought wetter, race chief Sebastian Vettel slithered barely huge and crashed out in his Ferrari. Hamilton made it to the entrance and needed to defend from team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who was on more energizing tyres. It was the primary time in Hamilton’s profession that he had began exterior the highest six and received a grand prix, and the end result gave him a 17-point championship lead over Vettel.

Mercedes weren’t anticipated to do effectively going into qualifying however Hamilton’s first lap in Q3 was described as “epic” by race engineer Pete ‘Bono’ Bonnington – it was 1.3 seconds quicker than his earlier finest lap of the weekend. Hamilton mentioned afterwards: “That lap felt like magic. I do not know the place it got here from. I’m overwhelmed.”

In a British Grand Prix going down with no Silverstone crowd due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Hamilton suffered a front-left tyre failure midway by way of the ultimate lap. Max Verstappen was chasing him down in second and ‘Bono’ counted down the hole to the Dutchman over the workforce radio till the chequered flag. “Essentially the most dramatic ending I can keep in mind,” mentioned Hamilton.

Within the Covid-shortened 2020 season, victory on the Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimao, the place he overtook McLaren’s Carlos Sainz and team-mate Bottas on the best way to a commanding victory, gave him a 92nd F1 win – breaking Michael Schumacher’s all-time file. On the workforce radio, Hamilton mentioned he “owed all of it” to his Mercedes workforce, including: “I may solely ever have dreamed of being the place I’m right now. I did not have a magic ball after I selected to come back to this workforce and companion with these nice folks, however right here I’m.”

Hamilton’s record-equalling seventh F1 title – and sixth with Mercedes – was sealed on the rain-affected 2020 Turkish Grand Prix. “That is for all the youngsters on the market, who dream the inconceivable,” he mentioned on workforce radio.

A weekend filled with drama included grid penalties, and disqualification from qualifying for a rear-wing infringement. Within the dash on the Saturday, he began final however made his manner by way of to complete fifth. One other penalty meant he began the Sunday grand prix from tenth however he overtook title rival Max Verstappen with 12 laps to go after an intense battle for certainly one of his best wins.

The 2-and-a-half-year drought with out a race win was lastly ended. Hamilton certified second and held off Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris in a wet-dry race to take his 104th profession victory and ninth at Silverstone to grow to be the record-holder for F1 wins at a single circuit. “This one means a lot to me,” he mentioned.