Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff believes Lewis Hamilton would have been a contender for victory in his final race with the team at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, had his qualifying not been thwarted by an errant bollard.
Hamilton’s send-off from Mercedes, after a record-breaking 12-year partnership that yielded six drivers’ titles and 84 wins, was marred on Saturday by an unlucky incident in Q1.
In his efforts to move off the racing line to avoid impeding oncoming cars, Kevin Magnussen dislodged a bollard onto the track, and Hamilton, unable to avoid it, struck the post, which became lodged under his car, immediately upsetting its balance.
The resulting damage left Hamilton a catastrophic 16th on the grid.
But despite the setback, the seven-time world champion Hamilton charged through the field on Sunday, executing a strategic masterclass and delivering a thrilling last-lap pass on teammate George Russell to claim fourth place.
While the performance capped Hamilton’s Mercedes career on a high note, Wolff couldn’t shake the thought of what might have been.
"I always try to be analytical and, if the bollard hadn't been in our way yesterday, I think Lewis could have fought for the victory," the Austrian said.
Reflecting on Hamilton’s race, Wolff was effusive in his praise, calling it a display of championship-caliber driving.
"He drove like a world champion today. From P16, working his way slowly through the cars, playing the long game and then finishing in fourth, driving away from the Red Bull. That was a statement of a world champion,” he added.
Mercedes had predicted a sixth-place finish for Hamilton based on race simulations, but an opening-lap collision between Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri opened the door for a stronger result.
Even so, Wolff believes Hamilton’s pace proved he could have been in the fight at the sharp end.
"Before the race, the best estimate was P6. On pure pace and medium tyre to medium tyre with Lando, he was two-tenths slower. But obviously with Lewis' traffic situation etcetera, we would have been right up there," Wolff said.
As Hamilton prepares for his move to Ferrari in 2025, Wolff reflected on the unparalleled 12-year partnership between the driver and the team.
"It has been 12 years," Wolff said. "It is not only the longest driver-team relationship the sport has ever seen, it is probably also one of the longest relationships that any sports team had with a player.
"It has been one of the longest relationships we have had personally with another person, and that creates attachment, and trust. And those values, in this day and age, are rare.
"That's why it is a period of time that we will always hold close to our hearts and one of the best periods that I have personally had with the team."
©Mercedes
Despite becoming rivals from 2025, Wolff is optimistic about maintaining the connection with Hamilton beyond competition.
"We said we are going to work hard on maintaining the relationship," he said. "It is going to be fierce competition on the track but if individuals want a relationship to continue beyond competition, we will do so.
"We will still be doing our sports sessions where we are both competitive, and try to beat each other; or ride a motorbike, have dinner together and all of those things."
Hamilton’s Abu Dhabi weekend may not have ended in triumph, but his recovery drive was a fitting farewell—a final act that encapsulated his resilience and brilliance as Mercedes’ cornerstone for over a decade.
Wolff’s lingering "what if" underscores how close Hamilton came to one more victory, leaving fans to wonder how much more magic he might conjure in Ferrari red.
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