Lewis Hamilton says a number of “special moments” were critical in allowing him to become Formula 1 champion for a fifth time on Sunday.
The Briton had far from his finest race in Mexico finishing fourth, but it was more than sufficient to be out of reach of Sebastian Vettel who needed to win but could only finish second.
With the title fight reaching its conclusion, the debate has raged over whether his latest success was earned or handed to him after a series of difficult races for Vettel & Ferrari.
Hamilton though very much sees some big wins and key races as the main reason for his fourth crown in five years.
“Through the year there were a lot of testing times for us,” Hamilton told Motorsport.com.
“Even on weekends where we didn’t have the package and we were on the back foot, we’d come away with wins even though we weren’t the quickest.
“It took some special laps, it took some special moments in the car and I honestly could just re-live those moments all the time.
“Some of those experiences I had in the car were really magical.”
Hamilton pointed to his comeback to second at Silverstone after being last on Lap 1 and in particular, the end of the European season saw momentum swing firmly in his favour with unexpected wins in Germany and Hungary which kick-started a run of six victories in seven races, including another success at a strong Ferrari track in Singapore.
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The 33-year-old has also been largely flawless all year too, certainly in comparison to Vettel, but he insists nothing he achieved this season would be possible without his Mercedes team.
“I feel like I can drive anything and I feel I can take the car to places that nobody else can,” he said.
“But to do that, you have to get the car in the right place and so that means ultimately you’ve got to work with the team, to help unleash what’s great within them so that you can unleash the greatness in yourself.”