When Lewis Hamilton rounds the final corner at the Yas Marina Circuit on lap 58 of the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday, it’ll be an epochal moment for the Mercedes driver.
For in all likelihood the British driver will have completed his 246th race for the Silver Arrows, and his 356th race powered by the German auto giant.
It is the end of an era for Formula 1 and for Hamilton, who won seven world titles across his days in cars powered by Mercedes – one with McLaren and six with Mercedes.
But it also represents the dawning of a new era for the 39-year-old, who will launch a new chapter with the sport’s most celebrated team, Ferrari, next season.
Hamilton impact
Hamilton’s impact on the top flight of motor sport cannot be understated. He remains, out of over 750 drivers in the sport’s lifespan, the only black racer in Formula 1 history.
His actions are a beacon for others looking at a sport and seeing a lack of diversity – albeit that some may argue the diversity of nationalities involved, however rich they are, is a meaningful metric too.
Ferrari offers Hamilton a fresh start after a turbulent end to his career at Mercedes, whose ownership is split between the firm, team principal Toto Wolff and Manchester United minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
With a move to Maranello comes a responsibility to uphold the reputation of one of the automotive industry’s biggest brands – there’s no room for a Jaguar-style mess-up here.
Hamilton will enjoy some of the sport’s most passionate fans, mostly from a country that has seen its football followers have problems with the skin tone of sportspeople.
He will face a nation that expects perfection – Formula 1 giants in Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso have each left the team under a dark cloud.
And he will be challenged to resurrect a career and attitude that has appeared to have neared a flatline at times in 2024.
Recognisable to millions
But the Brit staying in Formula 1 is good for Formula 1; he has a voice millions recognise and respect.
So whether it was that crucial overtake on the last lap in 2008 at Interlagos to beat Felipe Massa to the world title, or his numerous battles with former teammate Nico Rosberg, or even the daylight robbery of the 2021 world title in Abu Dhabi; Hamilton has given us memory after memory under the Mercedes banner.
He has little to prove in the red of Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc but, level on titles with the great Michael Schumacher, how apt would it be for Hamilton to become the out-and-out greatest of all time in the same colours that he once idolised as a kid.
Sometimes things are written in the stars but often a series of happy accidents form a conclusion. But Hamilton at Ferrari feels right, no matter how difficult it will be to see a Silver Arrow circling the world’s great circuits without him in it next season.