Lewis Hamilton admitted that he wanted to walk away from Mercedes in the immediate aftermath of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Hamilton, 39, endured one of the worst performances of his glittering Formula One career in Interlagos – crossing the line in 10th – a fortnight ago.
“That was a disaster of a weekend, guys,” he said on the radio after the chequered flag.
“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.”
Quizzed about the transmission ahead of Saturday’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, Hamilton, who is entering the final three rounds of his 12-year Mercedes career ahead of his switch to Ferrari, said: “In the moment that’s how I felt, like I didn’t really want to come back after that weekend.
“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.”
Hamilton finished 50 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen, who started behind him on the grid, in Brazil, and 27 sec adrift of team-mate George Russell, who crossed the line in fourth.
Hamilton, who ended a two-and-a-half year winless streak at the British Grand Prix in July, is seventh in the world championship, 203 points behind Verstappen and a place and two points back from Russell.
His performance at the rain-lashed race in Sao Paulo courted criticism, but speaking to Sky Sports, the 39-year-old, who has won six of his record-equalling seven titles with Mercedes, added: “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. There’s been so many micro-aggressions – obviously not from my boss (Toto Wolff) because he’s been supportive over all these years and we’ve achieved a lot together – but I mean in general, within the media and through it all, and nothing can take me down.
“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 am 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.”
