ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Lewis Hamilton says he “massively underestimated” how massive a toll his resolution to go away Mercedes for Ferrari would tackle his relationships with the workforce the place he received six of his seven System 1 championships.
Hamilton’s transfer to Ferrari for 2025 ends essentially the most profitable partnership between a driver and a workforce in F1 historical past. The choice was introduced in February and has overshadowed an often-difficult season with Mercedes that has yielded two wins however some poor current outcomes.
“I anticipated it could be troublesome, however massively underestimated how troublesome it could be. It was straining on the connection very early on, took time for individuals to get previous it,” Hamilton mentioned Thursday. “After which only for my very own self, it’s been a really emotional 12 months for me and I believe I’ve not been at my finest in dealing with and coping with these feelings.”
Talking forward of his ultimate race for Mercedes on Sunday on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Hamilton mentioned he’d been left with “a great deal of bruises” following a sport of paintball with some Mercedes colleagues shortly after his transfer to Ferrari was revealed. “Individuals went in on me that day,” he mentioned.
Hamilton added that he was engaged on how he handles troublesome private conditions following among the pressure in his relationships this 12 months.
“I believe you’ve all seen the worst of me and seen one of the best of me, and I’m not going to apologize for both as a result of I’m solely human and I don’t all the time get it proper,” Hamilton mentioned. “I undoubtedly would say this 12 months has been one of many worst by way of dealing with that from my aspect, which I work on attempting to be higher at. However I hope the great and the highs far outweigh the negatives and the way I’ve dealt with it or behaved.”
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