Lewis Hamilton was delighted to finish on a high after he defied starting from the back end of the grid to pip teammate George Russell to fourth place in his final race for Mercedes.
Lando Norris won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to ensure McLaren held off Ferrari and won their first Formula 1 constructors’ championship for 26 years.
But Hamilton, who joins Ferrari next season, provided a dramatic sub-plot by responding to Mercedes race engineer Peter Bonnington’s trademark call to action in the closing stages.
“When he said it was ‘hammer time’ I was like, ‘that’s the last time I’m going to hear that’. It really clicked for me in that moment,” said Hamilton, who started 16th on the grid after a nightmare qualifying run.
“It was a really hard race. It wasn’t quite going as well as I thought it would. But I didn’t give up, we kept pushing. Switched on to the different tyres and the car came alive.
“I was just giving absolutely everything to the car. I wanted to finish on as much of a high and give every ounce of me to the team as they’ve given me all of these years.”
Hamilton was emotional on the team radio after completing his final lap, the Briton addressing his team as chief Toto Wolff said his drive was “that of a world champion”.
Norris and McLaren were also celebrating after he kept his cool at the front of a chaotic race in which teammate Oscar Piastri was sent spinning by Max Verstappen on the first lap.
While Piastri could only finish 10th, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc kept the pressure on for Ferrari by taking second and third but couldn’t snatch the constructors’ title.
“It feels incredible,” Norris said. “Not for myself but for the whole team, to come from where we were at the beginning. To end the season like this is perfect.
“Big thanks to everyone at McLaren. To win this after 26 years is pretty special.”