Lewis Hamilton has claimed a record-equalling 7th Formula 1 World Championship after winning the Turkish Grand Prix.
Hamilton equalled Michael Schumacher's record on Sunday with a win that brought the gravity of his achievement to light.
โAll these emotions were running through me and I was trying to stop it,โ Hamilton said in his post-race news conference.
โI was thinking about my whole career, from when I was five when I drove in a go-kart, from when we won the British championship, driving home with my dad and singing โWe Are The Champions' and dreaming of being here.
โIt really hit me and I just burst into tears. I couldn't get out of the car because I just couldn't believe it," Hamilton said.
โI didn't want the visor to come up and people to see tears flowing, because I had always said I would never let you see me cry. I remember watching drivers in the past crying and I was like โI'm not going to do that.' But it was too much."
Hamilton had to wipe away tears as he prepared to mount the podium.
โI'm definitely a bit lost for words.
โI dreamed of this as a kid. This is way, way beyond our dreams.โ
Hamilton only had one title to his name when he replaced Schumacher at Mercedes in 2013.
The move has been key in Hamilton's rise as he has become arguably the sports greatest ever.
โDream the impossible. You have got to chase it and never give up.
โThat's for all the kids out there who dream the impossible. You can do it.
โI know I often I say it is beyond wildest dreams but my whole life secretly I have dreamt as high as this.
โIt felt so far-fetched. I remember watching Michael win those world championships. To get one or two or even three is so hard.
โSeven is unimaginable. There is no end to what we can do together, me and this team.โ
