Despite having emotional difficulties during his final season with Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton says he wants to finish his 12-year career with the team “the right way.”

The 39-year-old will compete in his final Silver Arrows race this weekend in Abu Dhabi after agreeing to a multi-year contract to join Ferrari in 2025. After missing out on a remarkable eighth championship in 2021, Hamilton has struggled to regain the form he had with the team, where he won six of his record-tying seven drivers’ titles. “It’s been a very emotional year for me and I don’t think I’ve been the best at handling my emotions this year,” Hamilton remarked on Thursday. “You’ve seen the best of me and the worst of me, but I’m not going to apologise as I’m human.” Mercedes has dropped behind competitors Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari in the constructors’ standings after the contentious 2021 season finale at Yas Marina. Hamilton said he was “definitely not fast any more” in Qatar last week following a lackluster sprint qualifying performance. Although he ended his winless streak in July with a spectacular home victory at Silverstone, he didn’t place on the podium until ten races later, finishing third in Barcelona. Hamilton described his first meeting with team principal Toto Wolff after the shocking announcement that he would be joining the Italian team next season as “awkward” before the season began. “Ultimately I anticipated it would be difficult but massively underestimated how difficult it would be,” he stated. “Realising these are the last moments with the team, it’s hard to describe the feeling – not the greatest of course.” But as he starts a new chapter with the Scuderia, he feels there is a much to look forward to. “Any driver [joining Ferrari] would be thrilled,” Hamilton remarked. “But it’s not an easy step to join a new team, it takes time to build relationships and learn the tools.” Regarding this weekend, Hamilton, who is now in seventh place in the drivers’ championship and 24 points behind teammate George Russell in sixth, stated: “These days will be super emotional.”