Lewis Hamilton clinched the 2017 Formula 1 World Championship at last weekend's Mexican Grand Prix with two races still to contest, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
This was the British driver's fourth title, the three previous campaigns having come in 2008, 2014 and 2015. He is now on level pegging with Alain Prost (1985, 1986, 1989, 1993) and Sebastian Vettel (2010-2013).
Only the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, 1954-1957) and record championship winner Michael Schumacher (1994, 1995, 2000-2004) have secured more titles in the history of the highest echelon of the sport. It is also the 17th drivers' title for a British racer and the sixth for the Silver Arrows (1954, 1955, 2014-2017).
With the Constructors' Championship already having been wrapped up in Austin, the Silver Arrows have now won both titles for the fourth time in a row. (three with Lewis, one with Nico) Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is extremely proud, not just of his driver, but the entire team that made this achievement possible โฆ.
The Silver Arrows have now won the Constructors' and the Drivers' World Championships for the fourth year in succession. How would you rate each of these successes individually?
This year was quite definitely the most difficult to manage. That was because Ferrari raised the bar, and then Red Bull came into the game as well. As a team, you are always in a more comfortable situation when you know that it is one of your two drivers who is going to win the championship. Obviously, it is not always easy keeping the rivalry within the team in check, but it was far removed from the struggles of this year. I'm very proud of the first one in 2014, because we were so keen to win it. But this one was the most hard fought of all.
In Mexico, Lewis became World Champion for the fourth time in his career, which puts him on level pegging with Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel. Is Lewis in the form of his life at the moment?
I've been working with him for five years now, and I've never seen him operate at such a high level. The raw pace is spectacular. He understands the tyres and the ability of the car which, at times, hasn't been easy to drive. I haven't seen such a sustained performance on that level before. After a difficult moment in Abu Dhabi last year, we had a long evening in my kitchen, during the course of which we aired all the frustrations and issues that had grown over the years and got them out of the way. I think that we both felt a sense of relief, and that was when the relationship went to the next level. He went off into the winter break, and he came back with a great mindset. He has grown stronger over the year. The relationship with Valtteri is also an important factor. We have a great spirit within the team. That was an important piece of the jigsaw.
You have described the W08 as a 'diva' at various points in the campaign. Yet despite that, the team has won both championships, registered the most victories and secured the most pole positions. So, what's next for the 'diva'?
We plan to keep the characteristics of our diva that we like but to get rid of the ones that have caused us difficulties. Many of the teams have struggled to understand the new cars and tyres, why they function one day and not the other. If we look at the qualifying statistics and the race statistics, the W08 was the quickest car with the quickest driver. But we had some oscillations along the way, and we had some races where we struggled. We understand pretty well why that was the case. Now we just have to come up with a way of optimising it for next year. In the process, we will be leaving no stone unturned.
