Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has had to respond to questions about his immediate Formula 1 future after a ‘terrible’ Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton managed to secure a top-10 finish at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, despite qualifying last on Saturday.
Ferrari had a tough time in qualifying, with Charles Leclerc only able to start P9.
However, the race was more positive, with both drivers finishing in the points, although this wasn’t reflected in Hamilton’s mood.
Hamilton had plenty of complaints over the team radio as he tried to work out what was wrong with his brakes and why Ferrari decided to pit him when they did.
He struggled to overtake Esteban Ocon during his opening stint before watching Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg pull away from him in the closing stages.
The seven-time world champion wasn’t helped by Alex Albon, who received a five-second time penalty for colliding with him.
But, Hamilton’s post-race demeanour was so negative that he had to field a question about whether he was considering walking away from the sport.
Lewis Hamilton denies thinking about walking away from F1 after ‘terrible’ Las Vegas Grand Prix
Hamilton has been on the receiving end of backlash from Ferrari chief John Elkann in recent weeks, who told both of his drivers that their conduct with the media after races was unacceptable due to its negative nature.
Neither driver was particularly happy on Sunday, as Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 after the race: “I feel terrible. Terrible. It’s been very… It’s been the worst season, ever.
“No matter how much I try, it just keeps going worse.”
A report from The Race then shared more details from the written section of his media conference.
He admitted there was ‘zero’ satisfaction about making up nine places during the race, and said that ‘at this rate, with my performance”, there was no chance Ferrari would leapfrog Red Bull and Mercedes in the constructors’ championship.
The report went on to say that ‘Hamilton was asked to deny that he was going to walk away from F1’ because he was so ‘morose’, and the Ferrari driver duly did reject claims that he was thinking about quitting the sport.
Fred Vasseur describes the ‘main issue’ that Lewis Hamilton faced at the Las Vegas Grand Prix
Hamilton’s contract reportedly runs until the end of 2027, and he will hope that his fortunes are going to change next season.
The upcoming regulation changes are likely to make or break how Hamilton’s stint at Ferrari is seen, with team principal Fred Vasseur leading the project.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Lando Norris |
408 |
| 2 |
Oscar Piastri |
378 |
| 3 |
Max Verstappen |
366 |
| 4 |
George Russell |
291 |
| 5 |
Charles Leclerc |
222 |
| 6 |
Lewis Hamilton |
149 |
| 7 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
132 |
| 8 |
Alexander Albon |
73 |
| 9 |
Isack Hadjar |
47 |
| 10 |
Nico Hulkenberg |
45 |
Vasseur was asked about Hamilton’s performance in Las Vegas, and he said: “I think the main issue is yesterday – when you start from P20 [P19], for sure the race is difficult.
“But at the end of the day, I think he had also a decent first part of the race – but we struggled a little bit more [in the second stint] with the medium.
“But no, we don’t have to- let’s calm down, to jump out of the car and to make the first comment, it’s always a bit too much [to be reacting to], let’s discuss after the debrief.”
