Hamilton fighting to subdue emotions as Mercedes exit looms

Lewis Hamilton has stated he is attempting to keep his emotions in check as his relationship with Mercedes nears its conclusion.

Hamilton ended the second practice session from Abu Dhabi in fifth place, over half a second down on session leader Lando Norris.

It marked Hamilton’s final day of Friday practice in Mercedes colours ahead of his exit from the team at the end of the year.

Hamilton will link up with Ferrari in 2025 alongside Charles Leclerc to kickstart a new chapter of his career.

As the reality of his Mercedes exit begins to sink in, Hamilton asserted he is taking in as much of the weekend as he can.

“It felt better today,” Hamilton said. “It was very surreal. I’ve just tried to be as present as I can be and just enjoy every moment.

“From arriving, seeing the engineers and taking moments and really capturing them as much as I can.

“I really enjoyed driving the car today and working with the guys in the garage and the engineers.

“We’ve got some work to do. McLaren is still so fast, as is Ferrari, but we’re in the mix. We need to find some time.”

Hamilton has endured a largely difficult campaign with fluctuating form lifting him to the highs of race victories to the lows of finishing outside of the points.

As he aims to sign off his Mercedes tenure on a high, Hamilton detailed few changes need to be made to the W15 challenger overnight.

“There’s no trick to it, I’m trying to keep my emotions under control as much as I can,” he said when asked how he will balance his feelings. “I’ve not been great at it this year, I’ve definitely been very up and down.

“Human emotion is normal, but I’m just really trying to channel it into the car and into the team. I’ve so much love for the team, I’ve been wanting to do well for ages. B

“But one last go at it and I hope tomorrow we won’t change too much in the car and hopefully we’ll be there or thereabouts.”