After a superlative drive at the Yas Marina circuit, Hamilton also admitted that, after a difficult year, it was good to bid farewell on a high.
Hamilton drove from 16th to fourth in Abu Dhabi, another mighty performance to sit alongside what has been an unmatched partnership of success with Mercedes since he joined the team in 2013. He has taken six titles with them and 84 wins over those 12 seasons and at his final race before he joins Ferrari next year, he took a moment to contemplate it all at the close when he was given a special place to park on the start-finish straight alongside the top three, where he knelt beside his car.
"When I stopped the car I just wanted to embrace the moment, because it's the last time I'm going to step into a Mercedes and represent them, it's been the greatest honour of my life," he said.
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