Hamilton set for mundane end to illustrious Mercedes stint

Lewis Hamilton will drive for Ferrari next year, but rumors that the seven-time Formula 1 champion is exiting Mercedes before the end of the current season reportedly were refuted by Mercedes.

Hamilton is braced for a frustrating end to his Mercedes career after trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin explained that the team will be using the remaining three races of the 2024 season as glorified test sessions to help George Russell and Kimi Antonelli for next year, reported express.co.uk.

The chances of Hamilton closing out his iconic Mercedes stay with a win or even a podium seem slim. The Silver Arrows have lost significant ground to rivals Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull, and have little left to play for ahead of next weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix.

"The main thing in terms of learning is that the corners that we are weak in are still the same ones," Shovlin explained. "It is the interconnected, slow corners. That is normally where we trip up.

"We are in a position in the championship where we cannot challenge in front of us. It is very unlikely we are going to see any challenge from behind. Our focus has very much shifted to learning what we need to this year to apply to next year in order to get on top of those issues."

While this is not what Hamilton would want to hear as he looks to send off his Mercedes career in style, it will be music to the ears of Antonelli, who is preparing for a rookie campaign unlike many we've seen in recent years.

The 18-year-old has driven in just two FP1 sessions for the Silver Arrows but will be tasked with filling the boots of the most successful driver in F1 history when he makes his Grand Prix debut in Melbourne next March.