Hamilton, F1 World Champion “as if it were the first time”
After his 11th victory of the season and above all his second world championship title, Lewis Hamilton was obviously very happy but also very moved on the podium.
Questioned by former F1 driver Martin Brundle, the first words of the new world champion Lewis Hamilton, on the podium, were directed to the fans and his family, and of course, to the entire Mercedes team.
« I’m having a bit of trouble finding my words. The first thing I want to say is a huge thank you to all the fans who came from so far with all these flags and caps. It made a big difference this weekend. And also to my family, I love you, thank you for coming. I really appreciate you being here. My mom at home. And my entire team who has done an incredible job throughout the year, without them I wouldn’t be here today. I’m really struggling to explain what it means to me. It means even more than my first title. It’s like it’s the first time. I’m so happy. »
From the lights out, Hamilton seized first place with a blistering start from the W05 Hybrid that left Rosberg stunned: « It took off like a rocket, perhaps the best start I’ve ever had. From there, I was immediately in the lead. Before the race, I had several options. If I started behind, I had to bide my time until the first stop and see how it played out. But if I started in front, then I knew I had to really push. The car was fantastic. We really set it up perfectly for the race. Obviously, the qualifying wasn’t perfect, but we prepared it really well for the race. That was the most important thing. »
After the race, Rosberg showed sportsmanship by coming to congratulate the season’s winner in the room before the podium. The German, who suffered an ERS problem and various other issues until the finish, couldn’t fight for the Grand Prix victory and was determined to finish the race, demonstrating great sports spirit. Gestures appreciated at their true value by Hamilton: « Nico delivered an incredible fight all year. He was a phenomenal competitor. When we met in 1997, we always said it would be amazing to be in the same team fighting for the world championship. He did a fantastic job today. Obviously, it was very sad to know that the car wasn’t fast enough for us to fight to the end. Despite that, he was gracious enough to come and congratulate me. He said to me: “You drove really well,” and it was the same from my side. All year, he drove very well, especially in qualifying, so hats off to him! » he concluded.
