Lewis Hamilton has reflected on wanting to end his Mercedes tenure early after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, having endured a "frustrating" final season with the Brackley squad. The seven-time F1 drivers' champion will depart for Ferrari at the end of year, something that evidently cannot come soon enough for him. There have been extreme highs for the 39-year-old throughout the 2024 campaign, including claiming a final British Grand Prix win with the team - one that ended his two-and-a-half year victory drought. However, those moments have merely punctuated the low status quo. Stuck in a no-man's land with the fourth-fastest car, generally off the leading pace, Hamilton has also struggled to match George Russell in qualifying. To further compound those issues, there are weekends where he and his W15 are conspicuously adrift of his team-mate, such as in the round at Interlagos. Hamilton sparked a flurry of speculation in the moments after finishing P10 in Brazil, when his post-chequered flag radio message suggested it could be his final race for the eight-time constructors' champions. In the days that followed, the 105-time grand prix winner's remarks were clarified by Mercedes, claiming they were directed at team members who would not be travelling to the season-ending triple header. However, Hamilton has since confirmed that some of the suggested feelings had an element of truth to them, building upon his "could happily go and take a holiday" comments to Sky Sports F1 after getting out the car in Sao Paulo. "I mean, in the moment that's how I felt, like I didn't really want to come back after that weekend," Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. "But I think that's only natural. It's frustrating when you have a season like this, which I'm pretty sure I won't have again, or at least I'll work towards not having again. "It wasn't a great feeling in that moment, but I'm here, I'm standing strong and I'm going to give it absolutely everything for these last few races."
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