Lewis Hamilton admitted it felt "emotional" and "surreal" to participate in Wednesday's final Formula One car launch of his Mercedes career.
Seven-time Formula One world champion Hamilton will shockingly join Ferrari after the 2024 season, leaving Mercedes behind.
The 39-year-old had signed a new two-year deal with Mercedes worth £100 million ($126 million) in August.
But Hamilton recently moved to the Italian team official by activating a break clause, acknowledging that the idea of "driving in Ferrari red" was too alluring to refuse.
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Hamilton made his first public remarks after confirming his sensational move at the Mercedes launch. "The last few weeks have obviously been emotional and it is very surreal to be here," he said.
Standing beside Hamilton at the launch, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff continued, "It has been an extremely busy winter. Since this will be our final season with Lewis, we are eager to bring a fast vehicle."
Six of Hamilton's record-tying seven world titles—he joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013—came from the Silver Arrows.
However, since he controversially missed out on what would have been a record-tying eighth world championship in 2021, the British driver has yet to catch Red Bull rival Max Verstappen.
An uncomfortable final car launch at the team's Northamptonshire base resulted from his lengthy farewell to Mercedes.
Throughout the brief nine-minute event, Hamilton only responded to three questions posed by the Mercedes moderator.
