Hamilton piles praise on Vettel in WHOLESOME exit speech

Formula 1 icon Lewis Hamilton has delivered heaps of praise towards fellow champion Sebastian Vettel during a speech ahead of his Mercedes team exit.

Hamilton shocked the sporting world in February this year by announcing that he would be leaving the Silver Arrows after 12 years with the outfit, instead opting to sign for Vettel's former team, Ferrari.

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Vettel raced alongside Kimi Raikkonen from 2014 until 2019 when the Finnish racer was replaced by Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton will now join the Scuderia from 2025, following in Vettel's footsteps by partnership the Monegasque driver.

After 12 years with Mercedes, Hamilton and Toto Wolff's outfit have become the most successful partnership in F1 history, securing 14 titles across the drivers' and constructors' championships.

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Hamilton delivers rival dig in Vettel F1 admission

In one of his many exit speeches, the 39-year-old took the opportunity to share his admiration for former Ferrari star and four-time champion Vettel.

In a video shared on social media platform 'X', Hamilton could be heard praising his former colleague and companion.

"He's the best world champion that I know because he's far more than a driver.

"He's someone with real passion, he's empathetic and he cares for people." Hamilton admitted.

"He actually is the only other one that's tried to utilise his platform for something good."

Hamilton's comments over Vettel's work outside of F1 refer to his climate change campaigning and taking a stand over equality in the sport.

"I've met so many celebrities and so many people and there's a lot of people that don't take time for others and I think for me that makes me- doesn't matter how good he drives, because he's so quick anyways, we had great races together, but I think for me, we had the best races together."

🎥 || Lewis Hamilton talks about Sebastian Vettel.

"Seb is the best world champion that I know because he's far more than a driver. He's someone with real passion, he's empathetic and he cares for people."

"He actually is the only other one that's tried to utilise his platform… pic.twitter.com/kIzL6p48Oz

— sin ⁴⁴ (@44britcedes) December 10, 2024

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