Hamilton says farewell to Mercedes with a champion's drive

ABU DHABI : Lewis Hamilton raced one last time for Mercedes on Sunday, Formula One's most successful driver and team partnership ending in a cloud of tyre smoke, a radio love-in and a performance worthy of a seven times world champion.

The 39-year-old Briton, who will be driving for Ferrari next season, arrived at Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina circuit on race day dressed in red and bowed out with emotional farewells flooding the airwaves.

"We dreamed a lot but together we believed," Hamilton said, after finishing fourth in a season-ender he started 16th thanks to a plastic bollard becoming wedged under his car in qualifying.

"Thank you for all the courage, the determination, the passion and everything in supporting me.

"What started out as a leap of faith turned into a journey into the history books. We did everything together and I'm so, so grateful to everyone."

Hamilton performed some smoking 'doughnut' spins for the crowd on the finish straight and then got out, huddled by the car and kissed it.

He embraced race winner Lando Norris who secured a first constructors' title in 26 years for his former team McLaren.

Hamilton's 12 years at Mercedes brought them together six drivers' titles, eight constructors' championships, 84 wins, 78 poles and 153 podium finishes.

Hamilton's own records extend well beyond that, with a first title for McLaren in 2008 - the team also powered by Mercedes - and his personal tally of wins now at 105.

Every lap the most successful driver in the sport's history has done has been powered by the three-pointed star of a Mercedes engine.

Fourteen seconds behind teammate George Russell with 15 laps to go, Hamilton reeled in his compatriot and passed him on the last lap.

As so often in the past, the call came from