Hamilton told Mercedes exit is 'part of life' as 'next chapter' beckons

Lewis Hamilton's imminent Mercedes exit is "part of life", according to former Mercedes reserve driver Nyck de Vries. 

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the seven-time world champion's last with the Silver Arrows, a relationship which has lasted for 26 years. 

Whilst he has raced for the Brackley-based team for 12 years, he has been associated with them since his karting career. 

De Vries worked with the 39-year-old whilst acting as Mercedes' F1 reserve, before he departed at the end of 2022. 

Ahead of the season finale, Mercedes posted several social media posts celebrating its time with Hamilton, which even brought memories back to de Vries. 

Whilst de Vries believes it is incredible what Mercedes and Hamilton achieved together, he has pointed out that the "next chapter" always arrives in life. 

"I think, obviously, we all knew it from the beginning of the year," de Vries told RacingNews365. 

"But when you're going into the last race of the year, suddenly it becomes much more real, because the end is coming closer and closer, and naturally, nothing is forever.

"Naturally, that brings a lot of good memories back and emotions. I'm just watching from a distance, but when I look at all the content that I've seen in the past couple of days, it's remarkable what they've accomplished together. 

"And it's almost sad in a way, but it's also part of life that there's always the next chapter."