LEWIS' SMOKIN' DRIVE A FITTING WAY TO SIGN OFF

Brit ends Mercedes link with a bang as Norris bigs up Mac

- DANIEL MOXON

LEWIS HAMILTON'S career at Mercedes had threatened to end with a whimper.

As Charles Leclerc rocketed up from 19th to eighth by the end of the first lap, his future Ferrari team-mate was struggling to make progress.

And on lap 13 the glum Brit told race engineer Peter 'Bono' Bonnington over the radio: "I've got no pace mate, got no pace." But a change of tyres helped him burst into life and suddenly we were shown that, yes, approaching 40, Hamilton has still got it.

After his early exit in qualifying, boss Toto Wolff said it was "pretty much impossible" for his driver to reach the podium.

But he was less than five seconds behind third-placed Leclerc by the time he crossed the finish line.

On the last lap, Hamilton was closing in on team-mate George Russell when Bono gave that famous instruction.