Lewis Hamilton’s final race weekend with Mercedes before his shift to Ferrari continues to be anything but smooth.
At the Qatar Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion found himself embroiled in yet another dispute with his team, this time over a race-ending request.
With just one race left in his tenure with Mercedes, Hamilton’s farewell to the team seems to be anything but a peaceful send-off.
A Rocky Farewell for Hamilton
As the 39-year-old racer battled through his penultimate weekend with the German team, things took a turn for the worse on Sunday.
After facing a puncture and receiving a penalty for speeding in the pit lane, Hamilton asked his team to retire the car early.
His request, however, was quickly denied by his race engineer, Peter Bonnington.
On the team radio, Bonnington calmly informed Hamilton about the pit-lane penalty, stating: “We have got a drive-through penalty in the pit lane. It looks like you forgot to press the button on that first time behind the Safety Car.”
Hamilton, clearly frustrated, responded with, “Retire the car, mate. Park the car, mate.”
But Bonnington’s reply was firm: “Negative.”
A Pattern of Frustration
This outburst in Qatar follows a similar level of frustration displayed at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Hamilton threatened to quit the season entirely after a disappointing weekend.
Reflecting on his struggles at Qatar, Hamilton admitted the situation was far from ideal, saying, “That was a disaster of a weekend, guys.
The worst the car has ever been. Thank you for contributing to try and great job to all the guys at the pit stop. If this is the last time I get to perform, it was a shame it wasn’t great but (I am) grateful for you.”
With just one more race left for Mercedes before his highly anticipated switch to Ferrari, Hamilton’s frustration is palpable.
The legendary driver is set to join Ferrari with a £50 million-a-year contract, marking the end of an era at Mercedes.
Verstappen’s Dominance and the Drama Between Rivals
While Hamilton’s race was marred by penalties and frustration, Max Verstappen extended his dominance in Formula 1 by claiming another victory.
After overtaking pole-sitter George Russell, Verstappen crossed the finish line ahead of Charles Leclerc, with Oscar Piastri securing third.
Hamilton, however, had a disappointing result, finishing 12th and out of the points.
The weekend was also marked by a heated exchange between Verstappen and Hamilton’s teammate, George Russell. Verstappen accused Russell of being two-faced and trying to manipulate situations to his advantage.
“He always acts very nice here in front of the cameras,” Verstappen said, referring to Russell.
“But when you’re in there, it’s a completely different person. I can’t stand that.”
Verstappen further expressed his frustration, saying, “It was ridiculous how he tried to force a penalty, and I was heavily p*****.”
Verstappen’s disdain for Russell seemed to intensify, with the Dutchman reportedly saying, “He’d better go f*** himself, I don’t want to have anything to do with him.”
Looking Ahead to Abu Dhabi
As the season nears its conclusion, all eyes will be on the final race in Abu Dhabi.
Hamilton’s last race with Mercedes promises to be emotional, as the driver prepares to begin a new chapter with Ferrari in 2025.
As tensions continue to build within the F1 paddock, the stage is set for a thrilling conclusion to the season.
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