Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes Lewis Hamilton drove “stronger” after clinching the 2018 Formula 1 title, describing him as a “new Lewis”.
Hamilton embarked in a fierce scrap with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel through the opening half of the campaign before he and Mercedes hit form after the summer break.
Hamilton wrapped up his fifth World Championship at the antepenultimate event in Mexico, and capped the campaign with back-to-back victories from pole in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
It marked the first time that Hamilton had won a race after clinching a title prior to the final round of the season.
“He’s actually driven stronger after winning the Drivers’ title,” said Wolff.
“I feel he’s just so embedded in the team and integrated that the Drivers’ title felt incomplete, which for a driver is really strange because they are calibrated on the Drivers’ title.
“But he said it felt incomplete and that we needed to seal the Teams’ title.
“When you look at his face, that was almost more relief and happiness about sealing the Constructors’ title than the first one.
“And that’s why he just didn’t take his foot off the throttle until the very end, and that is somehow a new Lewis also.”
Wolff also revelled in a season that has yielded success for Mercedes across multiple categories.
“We’ve had an exceptional year overall in Mercedes, with all the trophies that we’ve won, and that is for me a highlight to say because we’ve managed to clinch the title with Mick [Schumacher] in F3 and George [Russell] in F2, and the virtual titles, the DTM success,” he said.
“So that is my first highlight, I would say, the combination of events of winning the DTM and F3 on one weekend, and then the drivers’ title in Formula 1 and then the constructors’. It just feels like a huge burden off of our shoulder.
“And the second highlight for me was Lewis’ Singapore qualifying lap, as a stand-out event.
“He was travelling the world to various fashion shows, launching his collection, and many people were saying on Thursday how can you allow him to be in New York and in Shanghai for 10 days and then come to the race.
“And then he just killed everybody on the track on Saturday.”
