Hamilton reveals grandfather passed away in build-up to title win

Newly-crowned world champion Lewis Hamilton has revealed that his grandfather passed away in the build-up to clinching his fifth world championship at the Mexico Grand Prix.

In a strangely subdued race, most drivers suffered in the heat and attempted to conserve tyres, with Hamilton flying off the line but then struggling to maintain speed and eventually coasted over the line to get the points he needed to claim his crown.

In the press conference after the race, Hamilton paid tribute to his late grandfather, saying that 'he would be grateful the Hamilton name is down in history, adding that he would 'never forget the things he did to help our family thrive."

Wow - Hamilton reveals his grandfather died earlier this week. “He would be grateful the Hamilton name is established and will go down in history” #F1 — Luke Smith (@LukeSmithF1) October 28, 2018

The Brit had earlier announced to the crowd in Mexico that the feeling of winning his fifth title was 'surreal' and that it 'doesn't feel real."

He told David Coulthard post-race: "It's a strange feeling right now. A big thank you to the fans, and I want to thank my team. I'm so grateful for the hard work back home. It wasn't won here, it was won with hard work through a lot of races. I've been with Mercedes since I was 13 and to complete this, when Fangio did it, it's an incredible feeling, very surreal.

"It was a horrible race. I had a great start but I really don't know what happened after that. I was trying to hold on and bring the car home.

"I wouldn't be here without all my friends and family. It was an amazing experience."

Hamilton now only trails the legendary Michael Schumacher in terms of championship victories, and he will line up on the grid for Mercedes in 2019 aiming to chase down the Germans' seven titles.

????????????????????@LewisHamilton is a FIVE-time world champion!#F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/lRx0tVl1zA — Formula 1 (@F1) October 28, 2018