Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has detailed that he is expecting Lewis Hamilton's final weekend with the team to become increasingly "emotional" the closer it gets to the last lap.
This weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be Hamilton's last with the Brackley-based team, who he has raced for since 2013.
Six drivers' titles, eight constructors' titles and 84 victories have been achieved by Hamilton and Mercedes, marking the statistical greatest partnership in F1 history.
All good things eventually come to an end, with the recent months having been difficult for the seven-time world champion.
Hamilton heads to the Yas Marina Circuit on the back of a Qatar Grand Prix to forget; however, Wolff is hopeful of a positive end.
The 39-year-old has been associated to Mercedes for 26 years, dating back to his karting career. Mercedes has been his home for so long, making his move to Ferrari that much more significant.
Emotions will be running high in the Mercedes garage, although Wolff is not expecting to really feel it until the last laps on Sunday.
"It will be emotional in a way," Wolff told select media including RacingNews365. "It just doesn't touch us yet so much, because we are right in the melee of everything.
"We're fighting, we're trying to do our best every session, every day. But the closer it comes, the closer it gets, the more emotional it will be.
"And then particularly, then suddenly, the last laps, the last race. I hope we can recover a little bit of what we saw in Qatar."
As mentioned, Hamilton has struggled in recent rounds, despite a very strong recovery to finish second in Las Vegas.
Wolff is not wanting to even think about the disappointing recent races, and instead celebrate the good times with Hamilton in Abu Dhabi.
"We have one more to go," added Wolff. "We will continue to give it our upmost, and we will celebrate the partnership, the relationship that we had.
"And then those few races will be forgotten quickly, as much as it hurts at the moment."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on a chaotic Qatar GP and look ahead to the season finale in Qatar. Max Verstappen's feud with George Russell is a key discussion, as is Lando Norris' penalty. Comments made by Toto Wolff on the FIA are also looked into.
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