New audio released in the aftermath of the Brazilian Grand Prix reveals Lewis Hamilton dubbing his raceday Mercedes the ‘worst it has ever been’ on a ‘disaster of a weekend’ that saw him finish 11th in the sprint race and 10th on Sunday – and threatening to quit the season altogether.
Amid lashing rain at Interlagos, the outgoing Mercedes driver failed to wrench the car under his control in Sunday morning’s delayed qualifying session.
The seven-time world champion subsequently crashed out in Q1 and was forced to start from the 14th after qualifying two places lower.
By contrast team-mate George Russell started with the front of the pack and finished the race in fourth.
With a move to Ferrari looming next season, Hamilton will have scant chances to pull a vintage performance out of his current drive, and in damning remarks made just after crossing the line on Sunday afternoon, the Briton is not convinced he will be able to.
‘That was a disaster of a weekend guys,’ Hamilton admitted on team radio. ‘That’s the worst the car has ever been.
‘But thank you for continuing to try, and great job to the guys at the pitstop.
‘If this is the last time I get to perform,’ he added, hinting at a potential 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 plank of wood. It’s like, no suspension,’ he added. ‘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.’
The 39-year-old recently visited Benin and Bazaruto Island in Mozambique during this season’s summer break. He also visited Morocco and Turkey.
Hamilton – who sits seventh in the driver’s standings – has claimed two race wins and two additional podiums this season but an inconsistent end to his stint in the W15 has seen him pick up uneven results since the start of the year.
His finish in Sao Paulo was the lowest recorded since 2022, when he also finished in 10th.
In Hamilton’s words, the end of his time in this year’s Mercedes ‘can’t come soon enough’.
‘The race was c**p but driving Senna’s car (as he did before the race) was the best thing ever, so I am happy and grateful for that experience,’ Hamilton told media after the race, which was won by title-chasing Max Verstappen.
‘Let’s not talk about the car, because the car is no good. (Saturday) was terrible, (Sunday) was terrible, qualifying and the sprint race were bad, the car has just been bad all weekend.’
Should Hamilton see out the remaining dates in the calendar, he has mercifully few outings left in the car before the end of the season with just three races left.
After his miraculous drive which saw him steal a march on the grid and move from 17th to 1st place, Verstappen could be able to claim a fourth consecutive world championship as early as the next race, the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Title rival Lando Norris had a similarly frustrating weekend despite qualifying pole as grappling with the conditions saw him slip down the ranks to finish sixth.
Elsewhere, Verstappen took a swipe at the British press following his incredible performance in Brazil.
Verstappen said on Sunday: ‘I have a quick question here. I mean, I appreciate all of you being here, but I don’t see any British press!
‘Do they have to run to the airport, or they don’t know where the press conference is?’
Pierre Gasly, who finished third for Alpine, was also on stage for the media call and laughed at the remark, 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: ‘Eighty to 85 per cent of the press in F1 are English. So, you have quite a dominant force with that. In the back of their minds, most would prefer their national driver to do well or in the case of an incident naturally pick the side of their countryman.
‘Ex-drivers, most of them are British, so it’s a bit of a one-sided affair.’
