Hamilton admits to 'strange' feeling ahead of Mercedes departure

Lewis Hamilton has conceded that his impending departure from Mercedes has created a "strange" transition within the team.

Hamilton stunned F1 in February with the news that he was to exercise a break clause in his contract and leave Mercedes at the end of 2024, to sign for Ferrari.

The Briton had some 82 of his 103 races and earned six of his seven titles with the team since joining in 2013, but decided to follow what he called a "childhood dream" and sign for the Italian outfit.

As the Hamilton-Mercedes partnership winds down over the course of the 2024 season, Hamilton will be phased out of team meetings, not be able to access full information about upgrades and developments so he cannot take it with him to Maranello.

He signed with Mercedes when he was a teenager, and will join Ferrari as a 40-year-old, but insisted he is not leaving because he's "unhappy."

"For me, this whole journey has been massively emotional, just because I have so much love for this team," Hamilton told CBS's Gayle King.

"I'm not leaving because I'm unhappy there. I'm not leaving because of relationship issues. They've been with me through thick and thin, it's definitely a strange transition at the moment."

Hamilton determined

Hamilton has not won since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP, some 51 races ago, going winless in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

In those 51 races, Max Verstappen has won three world championships and 39 races, with Hamilton only scoring six podiums in a 2023 season dominated by Verstappen.

Having dropped off competitively, Hamilton conceded that his perspective shifted, but is determined to still find Mercedes' improvements.

"We exist to win, and when you're not winning, your perspective has to shift," he said.

"It's just then about chasing and it's about improvement. It's about coming together. How can we make improvements? How can we get back to where we want to be?

"And [then] rallying everyone up. I actually really enjoy that experience."