Legendary Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton admitted this week that there was a moment during the Brazilian Grand Prix earlier this month when he felt a desire to end his tenure at Mercedes prematurely.

Hamilton was heard on team radio during the race, suggesting that this might be his last race with Mercedes, and he told reporters On Thursday, he spoke from the heart at that moment:

“At the time, that’s what I felt, like I didn’t really want to come back after this weekend. But I think that’s completely natural. It’s frustrating when you have a season like this, which I’m sure I won’t have again, or at least I’ll try not to have any more.

“It wasn’t a great feeling at the time, but I’m here, I’m strong and I’m going to give absolutely everything for these last few races.”

Hamilton is in the middle of his final season with Mercedes before moving to Ferrari next season, but despite his comments in Brazil, he plans to go all the way by running the final three races of the 2024 campaign for Mercedes.

Hamilton, 39, qualified a disappointing 16th for the race in Brazil before finishing 10th in the rain, which is foreign territory for arguably the greatest F1 driver of all time.

Hamilton holds the all-time F1 record for race victories with 105, and he is tied with Michael Schumacher for the most career F1 driver championships with seven.

Despite all his dominance, the last few years have been rather difficult for Hamilton, as nothing has come easy.

Although he finished sixth in points in 2022 and third in 2023, he did not win a race in either season. Hamilton returned to the win column this season with wins at the British Grand Prix and Belgian Grand Prix, but consistency has eluded him.

Due to abandoning two races and five other finishes of ninth or tenth, Hamilton is only seventh in the standings.

If Hamilton fails to improve at all over the final three races of the season, it will mark his worst result in the F1 standings since his debut in 2007.

Despite the trials and tribulations of the season, Hamilton claimed on Thursday that he was in a positive frame of mind and ready to start off on a high note, saying:

“Honestly, I mentally feel like I’m in the best place I’ve been all year, and considering how bad the last race was, I think that says enough.

“I’m still here, I’m still fighting and I’m going to keep pushing. I have a team that I really still love, and even if I leave, I want to make sure I give them my best. In the next races, if they provide a car that wants to stay on the track, I hope we get a better result.”

Hamilton and Mercedes will long be remembered as one of the best partnerships in motorsport history, so it would be entirely fitting if he ends his tenure with the team triumphantly.

A storybook title in his final season at Mercedes won’t be a possibility with Max Verstappen dominating once again, but Hamilton will have three more chances to get another race victory under his belt before leaving for Ferrari.

It starts on Sunday with the Las Vegas Grand Prix, followed by the Qatar Grand Prix on December 1 and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 8.