Lewis Hamilton admitted he was feeling very emotional after winning his 11th pole of the 2018 Formula 1 world championship in qualifying at Abu Dhabi.
"I never say there is a perfect lap," he said. "The first lap wasn't spectacular, there were a couple of excursions and a bit of movement on the rear end.
"That last one, it started off kind of calm but got more and more aggressive as I went through it. The last sector was the killer for me, that's where I really was able to make a big difference.
"I actually came round about four tenths quicker - that's not easy to do from one lap to another. I'm truly grateful for that."
Hamilton needed the lap-to-lap improvement as his team mate Valtteri Bottas closed to within 0.162s of his best time by the finish, with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel in third despite also getting quicker at the end of the session.
"Valtteri did a great job," said Hamilton. "And I know Seb was pushing really hard. It's been a real privilege racing against these guys this year."
The five-time world champion said he wanted to do the current Mercedes W09 chassis justice in its final outing.
"It's quite an emotional qualifying session for me, because it's the last time I'm going ot be qualifying in this car," he told the crowd after the end of the session.
"I know you guys watch it, but the emotional roller coaster that I've gone through with this car - I'm probably closer to this car than I've ever been with any other car. I'm emotionally attached!
"It's not always been easy, it's been a struggle with her, but it's been a privilege to work with her this year.
"I'm just so grateful for the team, for everyone for putting it together. For my guys, these mechanics who have been with me for the last three years. Their diligence, the guys back at the factory - I'm really so grateful.
"Today was just so much fun, to just go out an express yourself and push the car how you want, there's no better feeling."
Asked whether he would get to keep the car he had grown so attached so, Hamilton ducked the question. "Confidential, I'd have to kill you if I told you!" he quipped.
Instead, he said he would be proud to see it as part of a historic collection of title-winning chassis.
"I'm just happy that this car will be in the history museum at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart, on the Road of Evolution, where they have all the great cars that I've driven in the past.
"I can go visit whenever I want. I've got no space in my house anyway, so it wouldn't fit in my apartment!"
With Bottas starting alongside him on the front row, it's the seventh Mercedes lock-out of the 2018 season. But the Finn was ruing on missing out on pole position, having taken the honours here a year ago.
"For sure I was aiming for the pole. I has a good result here last year but I couldn't repeat that, so personally P2 wasn't what I was expecting.
"But for [Mercedes], even though we have secured the constructors title, we can still perform at a very high level as a team - being 1-2 for the final race is good.
"I think I lost a little bit of time in turns 17 and 18, just very difficult to get it perfectly right," he admitted.
"But Lewis was performing well, it was tough to beat his time - there was a possibility for that but he just did a better job."
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