Hamilton left Antonelli a handwritten message wishing him luck in Mercedes
29.12.2024
Lewis Hamilton, who retired from racing for Mercedes, stayed behind after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to write a letter to his replacement Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Team coordinator Stephen Lord spoke about this.
Lewis had already finished his meeting with the engineers, they had all left, so Lewis was upstairs in his room. I showed up, grabbed a couple of things, went down the stairs and Lewis came down too, he was ready to leave and go home. He got to the very bottom, then stopped and came back. I thought: Oh, I forgot something. I didn`t pay much attention.
He came back about ten minutes later, taking with him the guy who works with the team, Carlos, our head of logistics. It was clear that Lewis was experiencing strong emotions. He told Carlos: I just realized that I will never be in this room again. A very emotional moment. I can`t leave. It’s kind of sad to leave this room, because I spent so many years here, and now I won’t see it again. He was truly touched to leave this behind.
I went back to the room to pack up the last of my racing gear, helmets and all. I walked in and there was a rather long handwritten message on the wall and it was addressed to Kimi. In fact, he welcomed him into his room.
It was a wish for good luck, it said very nice things about the team and how they will take care of you if you take care of them, because they are a great team. And I thought: Wow, this is very cool.
So I took Carlos with me and showed it to him and he said, Wow, incredible. And in fact, we placed the letter under glass in this room, now it is there forever.
Carlos left, and I thought: I`ll go to the toilet to make sure everything I need is collected. And I saw the inscription right above the toilet paper holder: Lewis was here - with a big smiley face, ” Lord said on the Beyond The Grid podcast.
The seven-time Formula 1 champion will drive for Ferrari from 2025.
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