Hamilton's last drive with Mercedes

The greatest partnership in F1

- Sandip Sikdar

The yellow crash helmet came off after a round of the Circuito de Jerez in the W04, revealing a short-haired driver sporting a trimmed stubble with conspicuous diamond studs.

It was a sunny morning in February 2013. Lewis Hamilton had just been unveiled as the new Mercedes driver, shedding one silver racing suit for another.

Having given Hamilton his first break, pole, podium, win and title in Formula 1, McLaren had a huge role to play in the Briton's life. But at the same time, it also controlled and took major decisions of his professional life, something Hamilton wanted to get rid of.

In came the offer from Mercedes, who had big ambitions and even bigger dreams. Having returned to the sport as a full-time constructor in 2010, their comeback wasn't exactly headline-grabbing apart from the fact that they had brought in the retired Michael Schumacher as one of their drivers. But when the German legend decided to hang up his racing suit for the second time, they shifted their focus on the Briton. Though Hamilton was a one-time world champion, he wasn't the star of the times; that title belonged to Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel. But the German marque knew the driver's hunger and potential.