Finish of an Period: Lewis Hamilton’s Emotional Mercedes Farewell Forward of Ferrari Swap.
Lewis Hamilton (Left) and Pete Bonnington (Proper), on the Abu Dhabi, UAE November 2022 F1 World Championship.
Credit score: Shutterstock, cristiano barni
It was the top of an period for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes because the seven-time world champion bid a heartfelt goodbye to his long-time race engineer Pete Bonnington – identified affectionately as ‘Bono’. Their emotional farewell unfolded below the lights of Yas Marina Circuit, marking Hamilton’s final race for the Silver Arrows earlier than his high-profile change to Ferrari.
‘Bono’ rides shotgun for one final lap
Hamilton took Bono for a high-octane lap of the observe – with the normally composed engineer left sweating buckets, spitting expletives, and gripping the seat like his life relied on it – which, given Hamilton’s aptitude for the dramatic, it in all probability did. Followers had been on the sting of their seats, torn between roaring with laughter and dabbing at a sneaky tear.
“I don’t know why you hate testing. That’s a lot enjoyable!” Bono exclaimed by matches of nervous laughter.
“The tyres get sizzling, there’s no grip, and then you definately spin. I can see why you want a physio now!”
Followers flooded social media with emotional reactions to the video of the pair’s last lap. One fan summed it up: “Pure magic.” One other described the second as “iconic”.
Hamilton himself was no much less emotional. After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the place he fought again from sixteenth on the grid to complete a powerful fourth, he mirrored on their journey:
“Yeah Bono, we dreamed alone, however collectively we believed. And as a group, we achieved issues that… Thanks for all of the braveness, the willpower, the fervour, for seeing me and supporting me.”
A fiery ‘iconic’ finale
Hamilton’s final moments with Mercedes weren’t simply emotional – they had been explosive, actually. After crossing the end line, he handled followers to some celebratory doughnuts on the start-finish straight as fireworks lit up the night time sky.
“Good work Lewis! That’s P4 mate. That’s the top of an period,” Bono mentioned over the radio. “Gotta say, it’s been epic working with you. Stellar job in the present day.”
Hamilton replied merely, “The pleasure’s been mine.”
Ferrari certain, however recollections linger.
Whereas Hamilton’s pink Ferrari overalls await him subsequent season, the legacy he leaves behind at Mercedes is plain. He’ll go away a void that shall be arduous to fill at Mercedes. Followers will little question really feel his absence, but when his last outing is something to go by, Hamilton is much from completed rewriting the Formulation 1 historical past books.
Because the tyre smoke settles, this isn’t simply the top of a chapter; it’s the shut of an exhilarating, record-smashing saga. Thanks, Lewis and Bono, for the recollections.
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