F1 News: George Russell Reveals Emotional Helmet In Tribute To Lewis Hamilton

Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Lewis Hamilton, left, and George Russell of Mercedes wave to the crowd before the start of the Formula One US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-Imagn Images | Erich Schlegel-Imagn Images

George Russell has unveiled a special helmet for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to commemorate his three-year partnership with Lewis Hamilton, which concludes after Sunday's race. Sharing images on X, Russell reflected on his journey from waiting for Hamilton’s autograph at age 10, to becoming his teammate at Mercedes for 2022, celebrating a huge personal and professional milestone.

Russell's special tribute marks his time with Hamilton, a partnership that began in 2022 and ends as a result of his move to Ferrari next year. The touching gesture highlights the bond they shared as teammates, despite Mercedes going through a rough time so far in the ground effect era. On the top of the helmet, it says "Crazy how time flies!"

At the back, it says "See you on track, Lewis."

From waiting for your autograph as a 10 year old to being teammates for 3 years. It’s been an honour mate!! 👊 @LewisHamilton pic.twitter.com/0KEb07qgOR

— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) December 5, 2024

Hamilton has revealed that his last race weekend with Mercedes has been surreal, admitting that it has been difficult for him to hold back his emotions as his 12-season partnership with the outfit, which celebrated eight Constructors' Championship, and six Drivers' titles, was coming to an end. He 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."

He added:

“There's no trick to it, I'm trying to keep my emotions under control as much as I can.

“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."

Despite Mercedes setting up the car to help Hamilton secure a podium finish at the Yas Marina Circuit, an incident during qualifying ensured he couldn't get past Q1. While team principal Toto Wolff took the blame upon himself, Hamilton remains optimistic, despite starting from P16. He told Sky Sports F1:

"I'll try to. As I said, the car has been feeling decent.

"To go from P1, P2 I was always relatively in the top five to then be in 18th definitely changes the look into the weekend but I'm still trying to be really present. I'm still really grateful.

"The car has been completely different this weekend, it's been so much nicer to drive, so my hopes were high but it is what it is. I'll try to come back from that."