Lewis Hamilton's immediate Mercedes future has been plunged into doubt after an unheard team radio message emerges following the Brazilian Grand Prix.
It was a race for the ages at Interlagos as Max Verstappen took a massive step towards his fourth championship as he stormed through from 17th to take the win.
Lando Norris' race weekend fell completely apart despite taking pole position in qualifying, as the Brit lost the lead at turn one and fell to sixth place at the chequered flag.
The result means Verstappen can clinch the world title in Las Vegas if Norris fails to outscore his rival by less than three points.
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One man who barely featured in the coverage of the race was Lewis Hamilton, as the 39-year-old finished 10th after a nightmare qualifying session.
Hamilton couldn't get to grips with his Mercedes in the wet conditions and was seen going off-track onto the grass during the race.
During the race, it was so difficult for Hamilton that he even asked his race engineer, Pete Bonnington, how long he had left.
“I’m actually in a bit of pain, mate. How much longer we got?” He asked on team radio.
This was likely due to the excessive bouncing we saw from the cars on the newly resurfaced track, with fellow veteran Fernando Alonso also struggling with back pain.
“That was a disaster weekend, guys. That’s the worst the car’s ever been," he continued.
There was one other team radio message that raised eyebrows as Hamilton appeared to hint Brazil could be his last outing for Mercedes.
“To all the guys that are p*ssed off, if this is the last time that I get to perform, it’s a shame it wasn’t great, but grateful to you," he told his engineer.
Hamilton has won twice this season but has found the majority of the year extremely challenging at Mercedes as he sits seventh in the standings.
The seven-time world champion announced he would be leaving the team for Ferrari at the end of the year, but his post-race radio implies his exit could come even sooner.
Whilst it would be extremely likely Hamilton will stay until the end of the year, Mercedes have stressed they want 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli to be as prepared as possible for his first season next year.
Antonelli has had two FP1 tests this year and was confirmed to be replacing Hamilton in September.
Topics: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Formula 1, Ferrari
Tom Jenkins