Lewis Hamilton showed exactly why he’s considered one of racing’s greatest drivers with an incredible performance in his final race for Mercedes, climbing from 16th place to finish 4th in Abu Dhabi.
His former teammate Nico Rosberg couldn’t help but be amazed.
“The way he drove was the drive of a seven-time world champion, greatest of all time,” Rosberg told Sky Sports. “That race speed again… it was just phenomenal.”
The highlight came on the very last lap, when Hamilton pulled off a stunning move to pass his teammate George Russell.
“That was insane!” Rosberg said. “The way he lined him up, it was perfection. Through that whole section around the back, overtaking on the outside. Amazing.”
It’s quite something to hear this praise from Rosberg. The two weren’t always on the best terms during their time as Mercedes teammates. But now Rosberg isn’t shy about acknowledging Hamilton’s incredible talent.
“He certainly has one of, or maybe the greatest natural talent the sport has ever seen,” said Rosberg, himself a former world champion. “And I was a decent driver as well, so there were so many occasions where I was just like, ‘this is insane’.”
The performance seems like the perfect way for Hamilton to close out his Mercedes chapter. Next season, he’ll be taking his talents to Ferrari, setting up what could be one of the most interesting moves in recent F1 history.
That last race at Abu Dhabi? It showed that at 38, Hamilton’s still got plenty left in the tank.
