Lewis Hamilton: The race was a reflection of the whole season

Lewis Hamilton failed to cross the finish line of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after withdrawing from the race due to a pressure drop in the hydraulic system. For the Mercedes driver, this retirement was the first of the season for technical reasons – because of it, Lewis lost important points and dropped to sixth place in the individual standings. For the seven-time world champion, this is the worst result in Formula 1 – until 2022, Hamilton had never dropped below fifth in the individual standings at the end of the season.

Lewis’ team-mate George Russell finished fifth in the final race and fourth in the drivers’ standings, having spent his best season in Formula 1. At the end of the season, Mercedes finished third in the Constructors’ Championship.

On Tuesday, Hamilton and Russell return to the Mercedes W13 for tire testing in Abu Dhabi. On Wednesday, a member of the team’s youth program, Frederic Vesti, will take the driver’s seat.

George Russell (5th): “The race could have been unforgettable, but today we unfortunately made more mistakes than made the right decisions. This weekend we didn’t have the pace, the team did their best, but the race turned out to be one of the hardest of the season.

It’s a pity my race turned out like this. I had a good start and struggled with Carlos Sainz, but a long pit stop and a 5 second penalty meant the race was almost over for me. Today we brought ourselves back to reality after a successful performance in Brazil, where the track suited our car much better.

Today we were convinced that we already knew very well that we have to add seriously in the winter. Everyone at Brackley and Brixworth is doing their best and we’re moving in the right direction. We are confident that we will perform stronger next year.”

Lewis Hamilton (retirement): “The last race of the season was a reflection of the whole year – I’m glad the season is over and I’m looking forward to next year.

I had a good start, but the underside of the car was badly damaged during contact with Carlos – from then on I was not doing well. The car lost speed, the balance shifted to the front wheels. It felt like there was a lot of downforce on the front wing and I had to wait for a pit stop to adjust the settings and improve the balance.

The car was difficult to control all weekend and shortly before the finish I had to stop due to a pressure drop in the hydraulic system. We will spend the next few weeks on base where we will continue to work hard to come back stronger next year.

I hope this year’s challenges give us the strength and resources to fight for the victories our people at Brackley and Brixworth have achieved through their hard work throughout the year. We keep trying – in winter you have to show your strengths to prepare for the next season.