Hamilton “didn’t want to come back” after Brazil… goes fastest in Las Vegas GP practice

Lewis Hamilton was on a bit of a downer after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix earlier this month: he was uncharacteristically out of sorts in the wet, finishing 10th and almost half a minute behind teammate George Russell in P4.

And off the back of P16 in qualifying, his emotions bubbled up on the cool down lap: “That was a disaster of a weekend guys. That’s the worst the car’s ever been. But thank you for continuing to try.

“Great job to all the guys at the pit stop. If this is the last time I get to perform, it’s a shame it wasn’t great. But grateful for you.”

Hang on, last time… what? Was the seven-time champ about to hand in his Mercedes overalls and make a bee-line for Maranello early?

Of course not. “In the moment that’s how I felt,” he explained in the build-up to the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend, which kicks off at 6am GMT on Sunday (yep, alarms at the ready folks).

“I didn’t really want to come back after that weekend,” he continued. “But I think that’s only natural, you know? 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 just wasn’t a great feeling in that moment. I’m here, I’m standing strong, and I’m going to give it absolutely everything for these last few races.

Hamilton has already ended his winless streak this season, prevailing for the first time since Saudi Arabia in 2021 by taking the chequered flag at the British GP in July.

He then backed up that result with another win in Belgium just a few weeks later, but he hasn’t featured on the podium since. Now approaching the end of his 12-year stay with Mercedes, you can guarantee he’d like to finish with a flourish.

“I’m still here, still fighting, and I’m going to continue to push,” he told Sky Sports. “I’ve got a team that I genuinely still love, and even though I’m 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,” he adds. Ouch!

Seems to be going well so far: Lewis topped both FP1 and FP2 practice sessions in Vegas, just ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. The younger Briton needs a big result to delay the inevitable - that is to say, Max Verstappen’s fourth world championship - until Qatar next week.

Who’s yer money on? Place your (completely hypothetical and in no way financially backed) bets below.