The 2024 season has been a challenging one for Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, with a series of struggles reflecting the team's difficulties in keeping pace with the front-runners.

Despite early optimism, the year has been marred by inconsistent performances, with Hamilton failing to maintain the form that saw him at the top in previous seasons.

Mercedes has struggled mainly with car setup and pace, especially on tracks like Interlagos, where the resurfaced, bumpy asphalt made it tough for Hamilton to extract the car's full potential. 

His performance this year has been a mix of highs and lows, with standout moments such as victories at the British Grand Prix and Spa, but also a frustrating retirement in Austin and a disappointing 10th-place finish in Brazil.

Earlier this year, Hamilton informed Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff of his decision to leave for Ferrari, but he committed to ending his time with the Silver Arrows on a high note. However, the constant challenges and the lack of performance improvements have left him looking forward to a fresh start with the Scuderia next year. 

“I just put my focus on something else. I'm not fighting for the championship. Doesn't matter, really, where we finish in the championship,” the seven-time world champion told Motorsport.com.

“I don't care if I finish ahead of [team-mate] George [Russell] or behind George. It doesn't make any difference to me. I just want to keep the car out the wall and try to score points if I can for the team, if I can finish, whatever.

“If they give me a car that doesn't bounce off the track in the next few races, then hopefully we can get a better result. But yeah, looking forward to Christmas.”

He also highlighted that he is doing the best possible with the W15 but still struggles to succeed.

“Obviously, it's devastating to have these bad races in the second half of the season - but all I can say is, we're trying.

“We're coming into the weekends, but it's definitely not acceptable. It's definitely not good enough and we have to take accountability. I have to take accountability, but I am doing the best with what I've got. “

In Ferrari, Hamilton will be looking to secure his eight world champion title, while breaking his and Michael Schumacher’s record. He is also determined to get the Italian team back on the top spot with help from his new teammate Charles Leclerc.