Hamilton overjoyed to have won sixth F1 title
AUSTIN, TEXAS An emotional Lewis Hamilton said he felt overwhelmed, honoured and “more humble than ever” after becoming the second Formula One driver after Michael Schumacher to win six world championships.
“Right now, it’s hard to understand what I’m feeling,” the Mercedes driver told reporters after finishing second in the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, to take an unassailable lead with two races to spare.
“Cloud 9 doesn’t even get close to where I am,” the 34-year-old added. “It’s somewhere far above that.”
The race was won by teammate Valtteri Bottas, the Briton’s only title rival who started on pole position and had to triumph and hope Hamilton finished out of the top eight.
“It’s just overwhelming, if I’m really honest,” Hamilton, who had started in fifth place, said before the podium celebrations.
“It was such a tough race today. Yesterday was a really difficult day for us, Valtteri did a fantastic job, so huge congratulations to him. Today I just really wanted to recover and deliver the one-two for the team.
“I was pushing as hard as I could, I was hopeful that I might be able to win (the race) today but didn’t have it in the tires, unfortunately.”
Montreal’s Lance Stroll finished in 13th. His car appeared to be damaged early in the race, forcing him to change tires twice.
Hamilton’s success was witnessed by his father, mother, step-parents, and uncle and aunt who flew in from Trinidad.
“It’s naturally just pure happiness. I feel more humble than ever ... just looking at my dad’s smile says it all. He’s supported me from day one, as did (stepmother) Linda, as did my mum,” he said.
“They worked so hard for me to be here today so I wanted them to come out together.”