Lewis Hamilton shares his true emotions on Mercedes after grim season for F1 icon

Lewis Hamilton has taken to social media to leave an honest message about his Mercedes team on the eve of his final race.

The seven-time world champion will say goodbye to the Mercedes team this weekend in Abu Dhabi as he prepares for his move to Ferrari next year. The British racing star has been with the German outfit for 12 years.

Within this time, he has won 82 Grand Prix, 78 pole positions and six championships. Although it was all going swimmingly for so long, with Mercedes winning eight constructors titles in a row, the last couple of years have been a challenging time for Hamilton.

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Even with the two wins he has garnered this season, including an emotional victory at Silverstone, Hamilton has been unhappy with his car. Following his torrid time in Brazil, there was doubt whether he would ever race with the team again, even with three Grand Prix left.

He said on a radio message to the team following the race: “If this is the last time I get to perform, it was a shame it wasn’t great but [I am] grateful for you.”

Now, following his race in Qatar where the team had to convince him to keep driving as Hamilton wanted to quit, he has shared his true feelings about his final race for Mercedes on Instagram.

He wrote: “This is really it. My last race with Mercedes AMG F1. What we’ve built together over the years is nothing short of historic. People doubted me making this move in 2013, and here we are now.

“The records we’ve broken, the championships we’ve won, it all speaks for itself. This won’t be the last time I thank Mercedes, but going into my final race with this team is really hitting me now.

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“It’s really the end of an era in my life, in my career, for the team, and in F1 history. I’m proud of what we’ve created, I’m proud of every single person that [has] been part of this with me.

“Thank you. It’s been real, now let’s go again one more time.”

It was a shock to all Formula 1 fans when it was announced before the season got underway that Hamilton would be moving to Ferrari. He had always hinted at the idea of racing in the red car. Many supporters had assumed, with the Brit now 39, he would end his career with Mercedes.

The move also wasn’t talked about with Mercedes team director Toto Wolff. Supposedly Hamilton dropped the news of the bombshell move in a meeting with his boss. Despite this, Toto also left a message for Hamilton on the Mercedes website.

He said: “This weekend is a celebration. A celebration of everything that we have accomplished together. Lewis’ association with Mercedes goes back 26 years. Every lap of his career so far has been powered by the three-pointed star.

“We will honour this unparalleled story in Abu Dhabi and across the following week as we visit Kuala Lumpur, Stuttgart, then finally Brixworth and Brackley. And honour it knowing that, while this phase of our relationship is coming to an end, Lewis will always be a part of our family…”