Lewis Hamilton has caused some alarm with his comments over team radio at the end of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion had a weekend from hell in Brazil during what should have been a celebration.
Now an honorary citizen of Brazil, Hamilton drove the McLaren of national idol Ayrton Senna, but once he was back in his own Mercedes it all went downhill.
The Brit finished out of the points in Saturday’s sprint race and could only muster tenth in Sunday’s feature race while teammate George Russell was competing for victory.
Hamilton is well on course for his lowest-ever championship finish of seventh, and only has three more races to make amends before he departs to Ferrari in the winter.
However, it appears that something will be changing for the final trio of Grand Prix, with Hamilton making a cryptic comment in radio transmission that wasn’t released until after the weekend.
Driving around Interlagos on his cool-down lap, the 39-year-old said: “That was a disaster of a weekend guys. That is the worst the car has ever been. But thank you for continuing to try. Great job from the guys at the pitstop.
“If this is the last time that I get to perform, it’s a shame it wasn’t great, but I’m grateful for you.”
The comments quickly triggered panic on social media over an early exit for Hamilton, who will be replaced by young Italian Kimi Andrea Antonelli for 2025.
Mercedes recently attempted to register Antonelli’s no.12 which may make some Hamilton fans fearful.
There are more likely explanations, though. It could be that Hamilton’s pit crew are rotating out for the final races, or that he is being phased out of upgrades or team meetings, meaning his car will be down on performance for the rest of the season.
Whatever happens, Hamilton will be absolutely delighted to be switching silver for red this winter as new team Ferrari appear to have a much better grip on how to develop their car during the new era of aerodynamic regulations.
Numerous drivers struggled with bouncing at the old school circuit, and Hamilton was one of them, commenting: “It’s like a plank of wood. It’s like, no suspension.
“It’s bouncing on the tyres everywhere and you can’t get on the power anywhere.
“It’s just the worst ride, I think the worst ride that we’ve definitely ever had, particularly through corners. It’s just so stiff.
“But hopefully we won’t have any more bumpy tracks. I think the last three aren’t so bumpy. But yeah, I could happily go and take a holiday.”
He did find time for some positivity, though, commenting on the honour of driving Senna’s car.
“Even with the results today, it’s hard to come away upset because the fans here are incredible,” he said.
“It was such an unusual day with the early qualifying session, and they were queuing up from 04:00 this morning – and you just cannot beat that commitment and positivity, no matter what the result on track.
“It was so emotional to drive Senna’s car in front of them all this morning, and to connect with the five-year-old child inside of me.
“That was a very special moment for me, and I’m very grateful we could make it happen today in spite of the conditions.”