The end of F1's greatest partnership but Hamilton doesn't expect to leave Mercedes on a high

When we asked if Qatar was a season low point he added: “There’s been loads of them to be honest, so it’s been a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

“But I’m just grateful I’m still standing, and I’m still okay. I’ve had great races in my life, and I’ve had bad races in my life. Not too many bad ones.”

In recent weeks Hamilton been subject to a perfect storm – a difficult car, the realisation that it really is coming to an end at Mercedes and that his life will change, and perhaps the recent “shelf life” comments from Toto Wolff hitting close to home, despite his public denials.

It would be easy to suggest that the false start and missing the pitlane limiter in Qatar were signs of him being distracted by his current situation.

However he wasn’t the only driver to make an uncharacteristic mistake last weekend as the punishing schedule and trip from Vegas appeared to have an impact on the focus of guys who are usually finely-tuned machines.

Consider that Lando Norris missed a yellow flag, George Russell was penalised for dropping too far back behind the safety car, Sergio Perez missed a pit exit green light and then spun behind the safety car, and so on.

Hamilton can perhaps be forgiven for running out of steam a little as we reach the end of the longest season in F1 history, and with a difficult car teasing him every weekend.

Don’t forget that he’s barely had time to catch his breath since his karting days, when his McLaren sponsorship put him in a spotlight that was unprecedented at that level.

It’s not just the 12-year run with Mercedes – in total he’s now run 18 full seasons in F1, while competing at the most intense level imaginable, and without a break.

Nobody else has done what he’s done. Other world champions who have enjoyed had extended F1 careers, namely Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso, all took time out from F1 before returning with a second wind. And with due respect to the still competitive Alonso, none has been fighting at the front all the way through their career, with the relentless pressure that entails.

It would be a mistake to assume that such a great driver has lost his touch, even if his own comments hint at some self-doubts. After all just a couple of weeks ago he put in a storming drive from 10th to second in Las Vegas, a reminder of the real Lewis. He was also quick in Q1 and Q2 before things went awry in Q3.

One could argue that history suggests that there’s often a changing of the guard between generations in terms of pure one-lap pace – think Niki Lauda/Alain Prost, and then Alain Prost/Ayrton Senna – which is balanced out by overall experience and race craft.

However the W15 is clearly a beast to drive most of the time – notwithstanding flashes of form such as seen in Las Vegas – and due to the complexities of driving style, Hamilton is hampered more than Russell.

The search for a different environment, a new challenge and fresh impetus was at the very heart of his decision to go to Ferrari, and if the team builds him a car that gives him the predictability and confidence that he requires, he could be back at his very best.

Time will tell how that unfolds, but in the meantime he has to get through his final weekend with the car, while somehow shutting out all the noise that will inevitably surround him.

Hamilton and Wolff

It’s clear that his relationship with Wolff is not quite what it was, but the Austrian can only see the positives in what they have achieved together, and stresses that any recent dramas won’t impact the bigger picture.

“First of all we have this amazing partnership that has gone over 12 years,” he said on Sunday evening.

“We’ve won eight constructor championships and six drivers’ with him, and I don’t know how many races he won, 80-something? So that’s the over-arching feeling. And I think when I speak to Lewis, that’s something which we are holding dearly.

“Now these last races, maybe even the whole season and the last two was clearly not what we expect. That car is a handful to drive on its worst days. The moment the grip kicks in, it just doesn’t turn, and both drivers are in an equal situation.

“And so we have one more to go. We will continue to give it our utmost, and we will celebrate the partnership, the relationship that we had, and then those few races will be forgotten quickly, as much as it as it hurts at the moment.”

This was always going to be a tricky season given how early in the year Hamilton’s future plans became known.

However hard both sides have tried to maintain that it’s business as usual it’s inevitable that the environment has changed, especially with Kimi Antonelli standing in the garage and sitting in meetings.

“I think with all of us together, Lewis and the team, we’ve done a good job at that,” said Wolff. “Because when he took the decision at the beginning of the season to go, we knew it could be a bumpy year ahead, and it’s very normal.

“He knows he’s going go somewhere else. We know our future lies with Kimi, and then to go through the through the up and downs and still keep it together between us, I think that is something we have achieved.

“Now you see those very bad races, clearly he wears his heart on the sleeve, you express your emotions, and that’s absolutely allowed. It’s okay. Nothing is going to take away 12 incredible years with eight constructors’ and six driver championships, and that is what will be in the memory.

“And after next Sunday, we’re going to look back at this great period of time, rather than a season or races that were particularly bad. We will stay with the good memories.”

Wolff acknowledged that the Abu Dhabi weekend will have a special meaning for the team.

“It will be emotional,” he said. “In a way, it just doesn’t touch us yet, because we are right in the melee of everything.

“We’re fighting, we’re trying to do our best every session, every day, but the closer it comes, the more emotional it will be.

“And then particularly Sunday, the last laps, the last race, I hope we can recover a little bit from what we’ve seen this weekend.”

Part of the Mercedes family forever

Hamilton himself insists that he doesn’t know quite what to expect on his final outing with the team.

“I’ve had all year to think about it, so there’s been those highs and lows through the year,” he said ahead of the Qatar weekend.

“So I can’t predict how I’m going to feel next Sunday, after the race. Or the days to follow, or at Christmas, how I’m going to feel.

“It’s not easy. It hasn’t been easy all year, and even next year – I remember when I joined this team, it was strange driving past my old team in the in the pitlane, to the point that I even stopped at theirs at one point. So yeah, I’ll have to work hard next year.”

Reflecting on what he leaves behind he also gave an intriguing insight into one of the factors that he thought most about when signing the Ferrari deal – potentially compromising what could be a lifetime connection to Mercedes of the type enjoyed by Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss.

“It’s what I’ve always said about Mercedes, is that it really is a family,” he noted.

“And one of the hardest parts of the decision is obviously when you when you’re at Mercedes, you’re a part of the family forever. If you look at the past drivers, up until their eighties, until literally their deathbed, you’re a part of the team, and they include you and honour you for life.

“And that was always a worry in the decision, that everything you built ends. In my mind that don’t think that’s the case. I’ll always be a part of Mercedes history. In the future, I’ll always be able to come back and see the museum, and know that I was a part of the history of this brand.

“I think we’ve all worked so hard. We’ve been through so much together. It’s hopefully not a burning of a bridge. I think the bridge is solidified and it will last the test of time.”