Lewis Hamilton was crowned the 2014 Formula 1 World Champion in Abu Dhabi on Sunday and he described it as ‘even more special’ than his first championship victory which he took with McLaren in 2008.
Speaking immediately after the race, the Briton expressed his sympathy for team-mate Nico Rosberg after he ran into trouble during the race which cost Hamilton a true fight for the title.
“I can’t really explain how much this means,” he said. “It means even more than the first one. It feels like it’s the first time and I feel so blessed.
“Nico put on an incredible fight throughout the year. He was a phenomenal competitor. We met each other back in 1997 and we always said it’d be amazing to be racing in the same team and fighting for the world championship. He did an amazing job today.
“Very sad obviously to know the car wasn’t quick enough so he couldn’t fight in the end.”
Hamilton thanked Rosberg for congratulating him on his success.
“Still he was graceful enough to come up to me just now,” he added. “He just came into the room, very professional, and he said ‘you drove really well’. And same for him – all year long he drove incredibly well, especially in qualifying, so hat off to him.”
