Wolff salutes Hamilton as he captures fourth title

Lewis Hamilton celebrates winning the F1 World Championship for Brackleys Mercedes AMG Petronas team. Photo: Steve Etherington

Team boss Toto Wolff paid tribute to Lewis Hamilton after he captured a fourth F1 World Championship.

There were celebrations in Mexico and Brackley over night on Sunday after Hamilton sealed the title. Despite finishing an uncharacteristic ninth, the Mercedes AMG Petronas driver clinched it after rival Sebastian Vettel could only finish fourth.

Hamilton joins Vettel and Alain Prost as four-time champions and trails only Juan Manuel Fangio with five and Michael Schumacher with seven for most all-time.

Wolff said: “This was the hardest championship ever but it was also extremely well deserved. We had quite some up and downs this season with the new cars and tyres.

“Lewis probably showed the best and most constant performance of his entire career this season, he has made a step forward in every respect.

Hamilton added: “I didn’t do this on my own, there are over a thousand people back in Brackley and Brixworth who have created this beast that has given me the opportunity to exploit my abilities.

“I carry ‘Still I Rise’ on the back of my helmet – it means when you get knocked down, you get back up again and keep pushing as hard as you can - I never gave up and I kept pushing.”