Lewis Hamilton admitted feeling “excited” this Wednesday when taking part in the Mercedes presentation event for the 2024 Formula 1 season. the last of the English driver before leaving for Ferrari.
The seven-time world champion in the category, 39 years old, announced two weeks ago that at the end of this next season he will leave Mercedes, with which he won six titles (between 2013 and 2023), to race from 2025 with the Scuderia.
Speaking publicly for the first time before the announcement of his move to the legendary Italian brand, Hamilton admitted that “these last two weeks have been very emotional and it's surreal to be here.”
Hamilton reiterated that this next season he will only think about Mercedes: “The objective of all winter training has been to return the team to where it should be,” after being surpassed by Red Bull in the last three world championships.
“The team has had a couple of difficult years, but that has helped us a lot to unite and look at things head-on,” he added.
Mercedes 'Team Principal' Toto Wolff, who appeared alongside Hamilton, added: “It has been a very busy winter. “It will be the last season with Lewis, so we are interested in having a fast car.”
The details of the new Mercedes car
Named W15, the car that Hamilton and his compatriot George Russell will drive is “very different” from its predecessor from a technical point of view, “not only in the aerodynamic surfaces, but also in the lower part,” explained Wolff. specifying that “many mechanical changes” have been introduced with which it is expected that the car will “perform better and be more predictable.”
The Mercedes for F1 2024
Mercedes-Benz AG/EFE
After a 2023 season in which Mercedes was left without a victory for the first time in twelve years, the objective for the next year will be to “consolidate its position with respect to Ferrari, MacLaren and Aston Martin”, their pursuers in the constructors' world championship.
At the moment, Red Bull, which will present its new car on Thursday, seems far from Mercedes' reach after two years of absolute dominance by the Austrian team.
The presentation of the new Mercedes car barely lasted nine minutes and Hamilton limited himself to answering three questions from the moderator.
“I arrived in 2013 so I have been in the team for eleven years and I am going to start my 12th season. It is a privilege to work with this group of people who have worked all winter, so seeing the new car now is one of the moments most exciting of the season,” he highlighted.
The Englishman was more motivated than ever for his last year with Mercedes: “We are all super motivated for next year and we will give our best.”
Hamilton, who has not won a race in the last two years, and Russell will test the new Mercedes for the first time this Wednesday, in the rain, at the Silverstone circuit.
The official pre-season tests will be held from February 21 to 23 in Bahrain, before the start of the championship on March 2 in the same country.
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With AFP
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