Formula 1 Brazilian GP
Hamilton "looking forward to Christmas" before Ferrari move
The seven-time F1 world champion could not hide his dismay at another poor result in Sao Paulo, where he finished 10th
Ben Hunt
Edited: Nov 5, 2024, 12:33 PM
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Lewis Hamilton revealed he cannot wait for Christmas in what is a telling summary of his final Formula 1 season with Mercedes.
At the start of the year, Hamilton informed boss Toto Wolff of his decision to terminate his deal with the Silver Arrows to join Ferrari for 2025.
However, the Briton made it clear he wanted to end his tenure at Mercedes, which he joined in 2013 from McLaren, with a bang.
He achieved that by winning the British Grand Prix in July before taking victory in Spa-Francorchamps later that month.
However, his fourth-place finish in Mexico was juxtaposed by a retirement in Austin and 10th in Sao Paulo, where his Mercedes struggled on the resurfaced, bumpy asphalt.
And now the 39-year-old cannot wait for this season to be over before he starts the new campaign with Ferrari next year.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG
Photo by: Erik Junius
When asked by Motorsport.com about his disappointment, Hamilton said: “I just put my focus on something else. I'm not fighting for the championship. Doesn't matter, really, where we finish in the championship.
“I don't care if I finish ahead of [team-mate] George [Russell] or behind George. It doesn't make any difference to me. I just want to keep the car out the wall and try to score points if I can for the team, if I can finish, whatever.
“If they give me a car that doesn't bounce off the track in the next few races, then hopefully we can get a better result. But yeah, looking forward to Christmas.”
Hamilton was asked to identify whether the bouncing problems, which caused him considerable back pain all week in Brazil, were because of Mercedes' low ride height or because of the bumpy track surface.
He responded: “Both, but I think mostly because the car, just something that's not right. Qualifying was bad. Sprint race was bad. The car's just been bad all weekend.
“Obviously, it's devastating to have these bad races in the second half of the season - but all I can say is, we're trying.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W15
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“We're coming into the weekends, but it's definitely not acceptable. It's definitely not good enough and we have to take accountability. I have to take accountability, but I am doing the best with what I've got.
“The car has been the worst this weekend and I don't know what it is. We're going to have to find out what it is.”
When quizzed why his car swings from good to bad a weekend at a time, Hamilton joked: “You tell me. That's the million-dollar question. If you can find it, I'll give you a million dollars!”
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