“CBS MORNINGS” EXCLUSIVE: “I’m firstly fighting for trying to get back to winning a championship,” seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton tells co-host Gayle King he’s ready for a comeback following his show-stopping stunt in NYC to promote his Mercedes F1 team’s partnership with WhatsApp. He also opens up to King about his “massively emotional” journey during his final season with Mercedes.

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INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS:

On his decision to leave the Mercedes F1 team at the end of this season, Hamilton said: “For me, this whole journey has been, it has been massively emotional. Just because, yeah, I have so much love for this team. I’m not leaving ‘cause I’m unhappy there. I’m not leaving because of – relationship issues ... Mercedes has supported me since I was 13. So there’s like, I love the brand. I love the people that are in it ... and they’ve been with me through thick and thin. So it’s definitely a strange transition at the moment.”

On Mercedes F1’s partnership with WhatsApp, Hamilton said: “Well, it’s crazy ‘cause I’ve been using WhatsApp for as long as I can remember. Ever since the first time it came out ... that’s what I have all my like, a group chat with my whole entire family. And there’s, like, 60 of us on it ... That’s how we communicate. That’s how we stay in touch during special moments, birthdays.”

Hamilton reflected on the past few seasons, saying: “ ... We exist to win. And when you’re not winning, your perspective has to shift. And it’s just then about chasing and it’s about improvement. It’s about coming together. How can we make improvements? How can we get back to where we want to be? And rallying everyone up. I actually really enjoy that experience.”

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