Lewis Hamilton has asserted he understands the “inevitable” prospect of being frozen out of Mercedes’ engineering meetings later this year.

Hamilton confirmed prior to the start of the current Formula 1 campaign he would leave the Brackley-based squad at the end of the season.

In one of the most dramatic driver moves in F1 history, the seven-time world champion will link up with Ferrari in 2025.

A common practice for teams who have a driver departing for a rival squad is to stop their attendance at engineering meetings, particularly when they are focused on the car for the following campaign.

Hamilton has detailed he has not yet been denied access to such meetings at Mercedes.

“I haven’t been excluded from any meetings,” Hamilton told media including RacingNews365.

“We’re still working on this car and trying to get the car to the front. It’s still very collaborative, I’ve been here a long time.

“So if there’s a point where they’re like, ‘we’d prefer you not to be in this meeting’, that’s totally fine with me.”