New audio released after the Brazilian Grand Prix reveals Lewis Hamilton rated his race-day Mercedes as “the worst it’s ever been” on a “disastrous weekend” in which he finished 11th in the sprint race and 10th on Sunday, and threatening to abandon the season entirely.
Amid heavy rain at Interlagos, the outgoing Mercedes driver failed to control the car in Sunday morning’s delayed qualifying session.
The seven-time world champion subsequently crashed in Q1 and was forced to start from 14th place after qualifying two places lower.
In contrast, his teammate, George Russell, started at the front of the pack and finished the race in fourth position.
With a move to Ferrari just around the corner next season, Hamilton will have little chance of achieving a classic performance with his current drive, and in damning comments made just after crossing the finish line on Sunday afternoon, the Briton did not He is convinced that he can do it.
Lewis Hamilton endured a weekend to forget in Brazil as his time at Mercedes progresses
The seven-time world champion was frustrated immediately afterwards and called the period in Sao Paulo a “disastrous weekend” on his radio.
“That was a disastrous weekend,” Hamilton admitted in team radio. “This is the worst the car has ever had.
“But thanks for keeping trying and great job to the guys at the pit stop.”
“If this is the last time I get to perform,” he added, hinting at a possible early end to his season, “it’s a shame it wasn’t great, but (I’m) grateful for you.”
Speaking after the race, Hamilton doubled down on his criticism of the car, adding that it was enough to make him want to take the rest of the year off.
‘It’s like a wooden board. “It’s as if there was no suspension,” he added. ‘It’s bouncing off the tires everywhere and you can’t get power anywhere.
“It’s just the worst ride, I think definitely the worst ride we’ve ever had, particularly on the corners.” It’s so rigid.
“But let’s hope we don’t have any more bumpy roads.” I think the last three are not so eventful. But yes, I could happily go on holiday.’
The 39-year-old recently visited Benin and Bazaruto Island in Mozambique during this season’s summer holidays. He also visited Morocco and Türkiye.
Hamilton, who is seventh in the drivers’ standings, has taken two wins and two additional podiums this season, but an inconsistent finish to his time in the W15 has led to mixed results since the start of the year.
His result in Sao Paulo was the lowest recorded since 2022, when he also finished tenth.
Hamilton’s podiums this season seem like a distant memory after poor performance in Brazil
In Hamilton’s words, the end of his time at Mercedes this year “can’t come soon enough.”
“The race was shit, but driving Senna’s car (like he did before the race) was the best thing I’ve ever done, so I’m happy and grateful for that experience,” Hamilton told the media after the race. , who won for the title. chasing Max Verstappen.
‘Let’s not talk about the car, because the car is useless. (Saturday) was terrible, (Sunday) was terrible, qualifying and the sprint race were bad, the car was bad all weekend.’
Should Hamilton see the remaining dates on the calendar, he fortunately has few starts left in the car before the end of the season with only three races remaining.
After his miraculous performance that allowed him to move ahead on the grid and go from 17th to 1st place, Verstappen could win a fourth consecutive world championship already in the next race, the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Title rival Lando Norris had an equally frustrating weekend despite qualifying pole, as dealing with the conditions saw him drop down the standings to finish sixth.
On the other hand, Verstappen attacked the British press after his incredible performance in Brazil.
Verstappen said on Sunday: “I have a quick question here. I mean, I appreciate you all being here, but I don’t see any British press!
The driver has only three races left before the end of the season, a moment that cannot wait
‘Do you have to rush to the airport or don’t you know where the press conference will be?’
Pierre Gasly, who finished third for Alpine, was also on stage during the media call and laughed at the comment, adding: “That’s a fair question.”
Verstappen, who can retain his title in Las Vegas on November 23, told Mail Sport ahead of the British Grand Prix in July: “Between 85 and 85 per cent of the press in F1 is English. So you have quite a dominant force with that. Deep down, most would prefer their national driver to perform well or, in the event of an incident, would naturally choose their compatriot’s side.
“Most of the former drivers are British, so it’s a bit of a one-sided thing.”
