Hamilton's Mercedes chapter ending as Ferrari journey beckons

Although British driver Lando Norris took the win, it was not enough to stop Max Verstappen from predictably adding yet another World Championship to his name, but McLaren did more comfortably lift the Constructors title for the year, and even Lewis Hamilton helped himself to a fourth-place finish in his last race for Mercedes.

As is now normal in the sport, it has been another year where just as many news stories were generated off the track as they were on, and as well as the ongoing series of spats between F1 drivers and the FIA, rivalries from the driving seats have continued, with some pretty explosive claims being made in just the last few weeks alone. Many fans may have distracted themselves with the likes of a BTC online casino during the races themselves, but it was another fascinating year for a variety of reasons.

Stepping away from the more controversial stories of the year, one of the biggest, of course, was seven-time world champion Hamilton's continuing struggles at Team Mercedes, and it was no secret in the media that his frustration at their problems with the car was basically growing on a year-by-year basis.

As many had long felt just as they Mercedes fixed one problem that had reared its head, another would almost immediately present itself and fill the gap.

The porpoising issue, and subsequent ramifications a few seasons ago that took the headlines and seemed to blindside the team when it came to a fix, is a good point in case there, but whatever was truly behind his decision to announce an unexpected switch to rivals Ferrari earlier in the year remains wildly open for debate amongst fans; however, that point has now been reached, and he has raced for the last time for Mercedes.

Hamilton had long said after announcing the decision that he was fully focused and that he intended to go out on a high with the team, and for a long time it did not look like that would happen—particularly the press stories that claimed they were going to replace him for the last few races of the calendar.

But he ends the year in seventh place, just 22 points behind colleague George Russell, and speaking to the media after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton felt that he had 'finished on a high' after what had been another 'really turbulent year' for him.

Having started 16th on the grid, Hamilton brought 12 years with the team to a close with a fourth-place finish, and he admitted that it had been a long and challenging year, because obviously his decision to leave had loomed large basically from day one.

Despite the more recent struggles, his spell with Mercedes still goes down as both the longest and most successful team-driver combination in F1 history, and naturally he feels very proud about that and proud of those he has worked with down the years.

His reaction and crouching by the car spoke a thousand words for his fans who were watching on, and as well as reflecting on his joy and success down the years, there will no doubt have been a few regrets, namely his controversial loss of the record-breaking eighth drivers' title in the final race of the 2021 campaign, as everyone knows that weighed heavily on him and continues to infuriate others.

Now a new chapter with Ferrari begins; we will simply have to see what 2025 has in store for Formula 1.