03/12/2024
NEWS STORY
Toto Wolff: After 12 incredible years, we get ready to write the final chapter in our racing story with Lewis this weekend. It has been quite a journey. When we first started working together in 2013, we couldn't have imagined what was to come. Six Drivers' World Championships. Eight Constructors' titles. 84 wins. 78 pole positions. 153 podium finishes. The most successful driver and team partnership in F1 history. Many highs that we have enjoyed. Some crushing lows that we've overcome together.
Our relationship has meant so much more than just numbers and statistics, though. It is a legacy that transcends our sport, with a lasting impact beyond the racetrack. One that has strived to increase diversity in our sport. To fight for inclusion. Lewis has been the catalyst for so much of this and we have been honoured and proud to work hand-in-hand with him. That work won't stop at the end of this year. But it began because of the impetus led by Lewis.
This weekend is a celebration. A celebration of everything that we have accomplished together. Lewis's association with Mercedes goes back 26 years. Every lap of his career so far has been powered by the three-pointed star. We will honour this unparalleled story in Abu Dhabi and across the following week as we visit Kuala Lumpur, Stuttgart, then finally Brixworth and Brackley. And honour it knowing that, whilst this phase of our relationship is coming to an end, Lewis will always be a part of our family.
For now, though, our full focus is on the race weekend. There is no better way to mark the end of our time together than with a strong performance on the track. The entire team is focused on adding one more highlight to the reel. We also want to end the season on the front foot. That will help us carry momentum into the winter and onwards as we open the next chapter in our story in 2025. With George as the senior driver and Kimi as an exciting rookie talent, our future is bright. But let's end this present chapter in the right way. Thank you, Lewis: for one final time, let's do this.
Stats & Facts
• Abu Dhabi 2024 will be the 246th and final Grand Prix with Mercedes for Lewis Hamilton, a partnership that has delivered six World Drivers' titles, eight World Constructors' titles, 84 wins, 153 podiums, and 78 pole positions.
• It stands to be the 356th and final Grand Prix for Lewis with a Mercedes-Benz powered car in F1, ending a run that started on the seven-time world champion's debut in the sport in March 2007.
• Abu Dhabi made its F1 debut in 2009 as the sport's first ever twilight race, with the start taking place at sunset. Around 4,700 light fixtures are used to illuminate the track.
• Several modifications were made to the track layout ahead of the 2021 race, changing the lap length from 5.554 km to 5.281 km.
• These changes including removing the chicane at the start of the second sector and widening the following hairpin. The twisty chicanes at the start of the final sector were also replaced by one long, banked corner.
• Similar to other twilight and night races on the calendar, FP1 and FP3 take place in the daytime. FP2, Qualifying and the Grand Prix itself take place at night or as the sun sets.
• That poses a challenge to the engineers and drivers who must accommodate for the changes in tyre and car behaviour owing to the differing ambient and track temperatures.
• The pitlane at the Yas Marina Circuit is unique in F1, in that it features a tunnel that runs underneath Turn One. Drivers pass under the track at the pit lane exit, re-joining on the left-hand side of Turn 2.
• In 2023, Yas Marina Circuit overtook Adelaide as the track at which the most season-ending F1 races have been held (12).
• The circuit has seen four world champions crowned. Sebastian Vettel in 2010, Lewis Hamilton in 2014, Nico Rosberg in 2016 and Max Verstappen in 2021.