He also got to sit in Hamilton's car before the title-deciding race

Lewis Hamilton's dreams of winning this year's F1 world championship may not have come true, but he did manage to grant the wish of one seriously ill young fan.

Eight-year-old Nathan Ampofo-Anim met his hero Hamilton at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, describing it as 'the best day of my life' as he even got to sit in the British driver's Mercedes car.

Motorsport fanatic Nathan, who has sickle cell anaemia, an incurable and debilitating blood disorder, was given his wish by Starlight Children's Foundation, a national charity that grants once-in-a-lifetime experiences for seriously and terminally ill children - and Nathan's was to watch the title-deciding race.

Lewis Hamilton granted eight-year-old Nathan's wish when he met him in Abu Dhabi

Nathan even got to sit in Hamilton's Mercedes F1 car before the title-deciding race

2016 F1 FINAL DRIVERS' STANDINGS Points Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) 385 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 380 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 256 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 212 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 204

He said: 'I was already really excited to be in Abu Dhabi for the race weekend, but being invited into the Mercedes garage and meeting Lewis Hamilton today was the best day of my life.

'He is my hero and I hope I will be a successful driver like him one day.'

Nathan's hero Hamilton won the grand prix, the final race of the season, but was not able to quite win his fourth world title after Nico Rosberg came second to beat him in the driver's standings by five points.

Hamilton's attempts to win the title - including slowing down Rosberg in an attempt to make other cars pass his Mercedes team mate - did not make him the hero of too many people in Abu Dhabi other than young Nathan.

He directly defied team orders to speed up twice, although Red Bull team chief Christian Horner has been among those supporting Hamilton's attempts to win the title.