Beyond happiness, Lewis Hamilton and the “horrible” path to the fourth title
The Briton becomes even more of a legend in Formula 1. His fourth title clinched in Mexico places him in the club of the five most successful drivers. Third on the grid, caught at the start, ninth at the finish; what an astonishing outcome!
No matter the bottle, as long as we get drunk. This slogan alone can summarize the Mexican race of the 2017 Formula 1 world champion. Starting third, a mere spot in the top five was enough in his quest for a fourth title. However, his journey was a torment, by his own admission. It all started with the collision at the start with Sebastian Vettel, his last rival for the title. The main person involved was keen to exonerate himself from any responsibility:
« It was horrible! But to be honest, what could I do? I had warned that the first corner would not be easy. I don’t think I was too aggressive. I left enough space compared to the other cars. » A defense corroborated by his very first reaction on his radio microphone.
#MexicoGP 🇲🇽 | T 8/71
HAM: “He deliberately ran into me”#F1 pic.twitter.com/eYrLJzId6R
— Secteur F1 🏎 (@Secteur_F1) October 29, 2017
Fallen to last position after his puncture, the Mercedes driver didn’t want to give up. His comeback was still complicated by a severely damaged rear diffuser. The insult was having to let Max Verstappen, the leader, pass him a lap ahead!
« I tried to move heaven and earth, in line with our team’s philosophy. The race was very unusual… Being a lap down is something horrible, it’s like being in no man’s land! »
Congratulations of all kinds… and a surprise guest!
Worried about Vettel’s progress, Hamilton regularly asked his engineer for an update on the drivers’ championship standings. His mission? Not to concede more than a 16-point deficit!
« I didn’t know what was happening with the championship. So I thought I needed to catch up with the drivers ahead of me. But this track is not the best for following a car. I couldn’t overtake. It was a disaster! »
The essential has been achieved, thanks to the fourth elimination place of the opponent dressed in all red. When asked about his first emotions on the spot, the Englishman primarily thanked his loyal team members. « I am simply very happy about this fourth title. I will need time to take it all in. I want to send a huge thank you to all the guys at Bricksworth and Brackley. Thank you so much for all the hard work! I am so grateful. »
« The other day, I remembered my childhood in Stevenage, watching races on TV and dreaming of one day being in Formula 1. And 25 years later, or almost, here I am, four-time world champion! » Wow… 4 World Championships. Head to my Instagram for my message 👇🏽 #LH4🏆 #StillWeRise @mercedesamgf1 @suttonimages pic.twitter.com/PLHuAk8LV0 — Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) 29 October 2017
Now, it’s time for the succession of congratulations for the most decorated Briton of all time. Aside from his team, like Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda, the footballer Neymar joined in the celebration via a recorded message broadcast during his friend’s victory lap, completed with the British flag in hand. Another “close one” also chimed in: Nico Rosberg himself! A certain form of passing the baton…
Congratulations Lewis 👊🏾 Well deserving champion! Also brilliant for Team Mercedes to clinch both titles 🎉🎉 https://t.co/aEHzGc5qZb
— Nico Rosberg (@nico_rosberg) October 29, 2017
