F1 correspondent Daniel Moxon responds to Lewis Hamilton’s loss of ally Bono, Valtteri Bottas’s potential F1 exit, and the future of the Zandvoort race in his column ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.
It’s official: Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes will signal the end of one of the greatest collaborations in Formula One history.
Not his collaboration with George Russell, no. Even though they have been mostly amicable, Hamilton won’t be sad about saying goodbye to his fellow Brit. The news that Bono won’t be joining him at Ferrari, however, has stunned him.
Though he’s not a huge fan of U2, Peter Bonnington, his longtime race engineer, has made the decision to stick with Mercedes. Hamilton was not allowed to approach coworkers to ask them to move to Maranello with him due to a contract clause. However, he yearned to carry on with Bono’s collaboration and is now concerned about what lies ahead.
After all, one of the most important relationships in Formula One racing is that between a driver and his race engineer. This relationship can mean the difference between winning races and losing badly. Now, Hamilton has to start over at Ferrari, where he freely acknowledges he doesn’t know many people.
It was always going to be difficult for him to win more titles after the age of forty, and it will now be much more difficult without one of his most devoted allies by his side. It’s Hammer Time for the last ten races of their partnership until then.
After considering a few possibilities for a 2025 seat, Valtteri Bottas felt fairly at ease.
The 10-time race winner now faces the possibility of being the most well-known victim of Formula One’s drive to eliminate more seasoned competitors. He was a strong candidate to make a Williams comeback until Carlos Sainz realized Mercedes was not interested in him and snapped out of his delusions.
And now rookie Jack Doohan has taken over for Alpine in the vacant seat. Bottas is currently in need of a lifeline after being disregarded by Audi and Sauber for the entire season. Fortunately for him, Audi still has the option to retain the Finn as they passed on Esteban Ocon and Sainz.
The 1985 Dutch Grand Prix marked the 25th and last victory of the legendary Niki Lauda’s Formula One career. In that troubled season, he only finished three races, but at least he could leave the sport on a high note.
Fast fact
Miami is the other racetrack on the F1 schedule where Lewis Hamilton has never won. Zandvoort is one of just two.
Inside track
With Formula One searching outside of Europe for new venues, it appears more likely than not that the Dutch and Belgian Grands Prix will share a slot on the calendar and only take place in alternate years starting in 2026.
Leave a Reply