- Lewis Hamilton endured another frustrating Grand Prix weekend in Doha, Qatar
- The 39-year-old took part in the penultimate race for Mercedes before leaving
- Seven-time world champion will race for Ferrari from the 2025 F1 season
The unfortunate end to Lewis Hamilton’s life at Mercedes continued at the Qatar Grand Prix after the seven-time world champion rowed with his team and demanded an early end to the race.
The aspiring Ferrari driver took part in his penultimate race weekend for the German manufacturer, with whom he has won six of his record equivalent of seven crowns. But Hamilton’s farewell was anything but serene, with recent incidents threatening to sour his departure.
On Sunday, the Briton reacted poorly after receiving a puncture and a penalty for speeding in the pit lane at the Losail Circuit and attempted to retire the car early – a request quickly rejected by his team.
His race engineer Peter Bonnington said on team radio: ‘We’ve been given a drive-through penalty in the pit lane. It looks like you forgot to press the button the first time behind the Safety Car.’
Hamilton said, “Bring the car out, mate. Park the car, buddy. Bonnington replied: ‘Negative.’
The incident comes just a few weeks after the 39-year-old threatened to quit the rest of the season following a horror weekend at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton and his team were involved in a frustrating Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday
The seven-time world champion received a flat tire and a fine and demanded that the car be taken out of service early
‘That was a disaster of a weekend, guys. The worst the car has ever been. Thank you for your contribution and the great work of 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 (I’m) grateful.”
In Doha, world champion Max Verstappen claimed another victory after overtaking polesitter George Russell and crossing the line ahead of Charles Leclerc, while Oscar Piastri finished third. Hamilton finished outside the points in 12th place.
The weekend was also marked by the incredible war of words between the Dutchman and Hamilton’s teammate, with the former sensationally claiming to have lost all respect for Russell and accusing him of being two-faced.
“He always behaves very nicely in front of the cameras here,” said Verstappen, who is said to have hindered Russell in qualifying. “But when you’re in there, it’s a completely different person. I can’t stand that.
“I’ve been in that meeting room many times with people I’ve raced against. And I’ve never seen anyone try so hard to screw someone. I lost all respect.
‘It was ridiculous how he tried to force a penalty and I was a big p*****.’
According to Marca, Verstappen also told Dutch media: “He better go fuck himself, I don’t want anything to do with him.”
An eventful Formula 1 season concludes this weekend in Abu Dhabi.