Lewis Hamilton has said that he is honoured to be part of Mercedes after having another incredible season behind the wheel of a car crafted by the Silver Arrows, ending with a 1-2 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix through a win from Valtteri Bottas.
Hamilton started the race in second place and followed Bottas throughout, remaining within a handful of seconds of his teammate and occasionally being able to challenge and apply pressure, particularly in the closing stages of the race.
“Big, big congratulations to Valtteri, he did an amazing job today to hold me off, but it was a great race, I gave it everything every single lap, it’s very difficult to overtake here so once you get to the last sector, you struggle a little bit," said Hamilton after the final race of the season.
"I gave it everything and I just want to say a big thank you to the team, both here and back at the factory.
"What they have produced for us this year is just incredible and it’s a real honour to race for them, and to have this amount of support here…thank you everyone…all the British flags…I love you and appreciate you and I’m looking forward to coming back strong this year."
In 2017, Mercedes continued its dominance of the V6 Hybrid Turbo era of Formula 1, securing a fourth Constructors' Championship title and a fourth win in the Drivers' Championship despite facing its first serious challenge from another team in the form of Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel.
Ending the season on nine wins, four further podiums and a 100% finishing streak, Hamilton has arguably had one of the strongest seasons of his career to date, breaking Michael Schumacher's record for the most career pole positions and securing a fourth Drivers' Championship despite facing stiff opposition from Ferrari.
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