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'Extraordinary' Lewis Hamilton integral to Mercedes' five straight titles, says Toto Wolff

Mercedes could not have claimed five Formula One constructors' championships in a row if it were not for Lewis Hamilton, according to team boss Toto Wolff.

The German manufacturer continued its recent run of dominance by securing another title in Brazil, meaning it will go into 2019 aiming to match Ferrari's record of six in a row won between 1999 and 2004. Wolff has already admitted this year was the team's "most difficult" of the V6 turbo era given the intense challenge of Ferrari for much of the season.

Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 the year before the new engines were introduced with just a single championship to his name -- he's now claimed four more of his own, accumulating 51 victories for Mercedes and counting in the process.