Lewis Hamilton cut a despondent figure after the Qatar Grand Prix sprint, saying he does not care at this stage of the F1 season.
The seven-time drivers' champion's Mercedes tenure is ending in lacklustre fashion, causing the 39-year-old's latest bout of apathy.
During the previous one, at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he made headlines for saying he "didn't really want to come back" after the previous round in Sao Paulo.
Having won six drivers' titles and eight constructors' crowns together between 2014 and 2021, the past few seasons have proved difficult. However, the current campaign has seen recent highs for the British driver and his team.
After going winless throughout 2022 and 2023, Hamilton has claimed two grand prix victories this campaign, triumphing at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.
Although, the W15 remains a far cry from the all-conquering cars he became accustomed to at Brackley.
As his final year at Mercedes winds down before his winter switch to Ferrari, Hamilton has been critical of his own performances, as well as that of the package provided him by the German marque.
Having claimed he is "definitely not fast anymore", it was put to him the surprise those remarks caused, before being asked if he thinks things will fall back into place with the Scuderia next year.
"I have no clue," the 105-time grand prix winner responded to Sky Sports F1. "I don't have an answer for you.
"It's not been great. At this point, I really don't care. I just want to get through these next couple of races, do my job, turn up and look forward to the winter break."
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Showing gratitude
Nevertheless, Hamilton was keen to project a more positive outlook than he had shown, emphasising the gratitude he feels to be in his position.
The Mercedes driver moved forward in the Qatar sprint, but still finished a disappointing sixth place, whilst team-mate George Russell took a podium.
Last week, in Las Vegas, he threw away potential victory with a qualifying mistake, but still managed to recover to second place in a Mercedes one-two in the grand prix, underlining the up-and-down nature of his final weeks at the team.
"I woke up this morning and the most important thing is to be with gratitude," Hamilton reflected. "So, I'm really, really grateful that I get to do what I love doing, even when there are days that I don't love it as much.
"And I'm really, really so lucky to be here amongst all these other amazing athletes. "I'm thankful [even] when it doesn't go well. No one likes losing. That's a part of the journey."
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