In the wake of claiming his fifth Formula 1 World Championship crown with fourth place at the Mexican Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton reflected on a season that puts him in the same realm as Juan Manuel Fangio and only trailing Michael Schumacher as the sport’s most successful driver.
The year was packed with the balance of power swings between Ferrari and Mercedes, the Reds enjoying the upper hand early in the season but Mercedes, Hamilton in particularly, ramping it up from Monza onwards.
Four wins in a row when it mattered sealed the deal for Hamilton, “I feel like I can drive anything and I feel like I can take the car to places that nobody else can and to do that you have to get the car in the right place, work with the team to unleash the greatness in the car and unleash the greatness in yourself.”
“Throughout the year there was a lot of testing times for us even when we didn’t have the package and were on the back foot sometimes, but we had the belief in the team that we could come out with something good even though we went the quickest.”
“When I won the championship last year, I was like, ‘How am I going to improve? How can I be fitter? How can I be more focused? How can I be a better all-round driver?’. I’ve tried to be a better son, to be a better friend – just in all areas.”
“It took some special laps, and some special moments in the car. I could relive those moments, some of them were magical. I truly believed we could win the championship. So much work has been going on in the garage, and behind the scenes and with strategy and set up and that’s been key.”
“I honestly feel like I’ve performed my best this year so I’m very, very happy with how it’s gone. I hope this feeling kicks in soon. I definitely feel more excitement coming as I’m thinking about it more!”
“It’s been such a hard year and difficult battle. To try and raise the bar this year has been a huge challenge. As a team, we operated better than any other.” added the 2018 Formula 1 World Champion.
Congratulations to @LewisHamilton on winning the 2018 Drivers World Championship! However, the Constructors’ trophy is still open and we’re determined to take the fight to the end #Nevergiveup
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) October 28, 2018