15 February 2024 , 20:00
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Max Verstappen has broken his silence on Lewis Hamilton's decision to leave Mercedes and join Ferrari.
Hamilton sealed the shock move earlier this month, but will not be linking up with Ferrari until 2025 as he still has one final year left on his deal with Mercedes. And Verstappen believes things could get "awkward" this season given Hamilton's impending departure.
"I mean I think at the end of the day, seeing him go to Ferrari… it's not a surprise," Verstappen said at Red Bull's launch event. "You know, if that's your goal as a kid or your dream then you go, right? The only thing for me was that it seemed like it was a bit leaked, of course, and then they had to announce it.
"Because to announce something that big that early in the season I think for sure, for the rest of the year is a bit, I would say a little bit awkward. Even though you've had a lot of success together as a team, you can't be included into everything anymore. But for him going to Ferrari, it's not really shocking, you know."
Despite expecting some awkwardness at times this season, Verstappen believes that both Hamilton and Mercedes will be able to handle things professionally and focus on the racing. "I think at the end of the day you are professional enough to just deal with what you have," he added.
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"I mean it's not like they are suddenly enemies or whatever. He has achieved so many great things with that whole team that they are still behind him. It's just you know that at one point you can't just share certain stuff.
"But once he is sitting in the car they will still go, of course, flat out for him to try and win races as well. I mean for sure he has a great relationship with everyone and especially also with Toto.
Hamilton will be joining Ferrari in 2025 (Getty Images)"But he also knows at one point, and Toto for sure will tell him 'I'm really sorry, we've had all this success, but you can't be a part of certain meetings any more.' And it's normal in F1 and it's probably a bit weird, but you're professional enough to deal with that."
Hamilton has also insisted he remains "100 per cent" committed to Mercedes for the upcoming season. "I will be forever grateful for the incredible support of my Mercedes family, especially Toto (Wolff, Mercedes' team principal) for his friendship and leadership and I want to finish on a high together," he said.
"I am 100 per cent committed to delivering the best performance I can this season and making my last year with the Silver Arrows, one to remember."
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