Las Vegas (AFP) – Lewis Hamilton on Wednesday said he had shrugged off deep disappointment after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix and pledged to give his all for Mercedes in his final three races before joining Ferrari. The seven-time world champion admitted he had felt like “not coming back” in a radio reaction at the end of the race in Brazil where he finished 10th but had recovered and now wanted to give his best for “a team I love.”
Speaking to reporters ahead of this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, the first of a triple-header on successive weekends, he was asked about a team radio exchange in which he suggested he was ready to walk away. In the radio transmission, he said, “that was a disaster of a weekend guys, the worst the car has ever been. Thank you for contributing to try and great job to all the guys at the pit-stop. If this is the last time I get to perform, it was a shame it wasn’t great, but (I am) grateful for you.”
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Hamilton, 39, will end a hugely successful 12-year spell with Mercedes after the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix next month (December).
“In the moment, that’s how I felt, like I didn’t really want to come back after that weekend,” he explained. “In the heat of the moment, for sure, I would much rather be on the beach and chilling… And I don’t need to do this, but I’m here, I love this job and I’m going to give it my all in these last few races and finish strong. That was always the plan.”
In candid mood, he told Sky Sports he had shaken off those feelings. “Honestly, I feel in the best place I’ve been all year, mentally, and considering how bad the last race was I think that says enough. I’ve been around this game for a long time. There’s been so many things that are said about me. I’m still here, still fighting and I’m going to continue to push. I’ve got a team that I genuinely still love, and even though I’m leaving, I want to make sure I give them the best I can in these next races. If they provide a car that wants to stay on track then hopefully we’ll have a better result.”
Hamilton also added his weight to a call from the drivers, through the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA), to the International Motoring Federation (FIA), the sport’s governing body, for greater communication and transparency over the use of money paid in driver and team fines. He said they would ‘chase them up’ if there was no response from the FIA to a joint statement sent earlier this month. “I know they’ve got a lot going on at the moment, but I think it just shows that more than ever the drivers are united which is perhaps not something you’ve seen in the past,” he said. “There are some things that need addressing and the FIA needs to be better at working and collaborating with us.”
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