Lewis Hamilton admits it is “crazy” to have seen the vision which attracted him to Mercedes in 2013 become reality.
His decision to leave McLaren at the end of 2012 was hotly debated given the German manufacturer hadn’t done much since taking over the Brawn GP team two years earlier.
However, it didn’t take long for the doubters to go quiet and now Mercedes is on the brink of a sixth straight double championship success, continuing their domination of the hybrid era in F1.
“I’ve been with the team for seven years and I’ve been with Mercedes since I was 13, so I’m very proud to be racing the silver arrow and be part of this incredible journey that Mercedes is on,” he said via GPToday.
“Joining them in 2013, with just the utter belief that we will do something special, it’s kind of crazy to see it coming to fruition, all the hard work.”
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Despite all the success, including Hamilton himself who is set to win his fifth title in six years and sixth in total, he insists the motivation is unchanged.
“Naturally, when I met everyone in 2013, just seeing how dedicated they were there, and it still remains the same,” he continued.
“Even though we have the success each year, they’re hungry, they’re driven, they’re excited that they have Valtteri [Bottas] and me in the car and they give absolutely everything.
“And I love that, and it really inspires me to go out there and drive the way that I do, the way that we do throughout the weekend.”
Hamilton currently sits 64 points ahead of Bottas with four races to go, meaning, for the third straight year, he could wrap up the title at the next race in Mexico.
However: “I think Mexico is generally our worst race of the year because of the way our car is set up and it’s going to be a tough one for us,” Lewis noted.
“The last few have been pretty shocking, even though we’ve won the title there.
“I don’t anticipate it (the decider) will be Mexico. I think we will be battling for a good few races.”