Lewis Hamilton revealed he considered leaving Mercedes right after his disappointing performance at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The 39-year-old veteran delivered one of the worst results of his illustrious Formula One career in Interlagos, finishing 10th just two weeks ago.
"That was a disaster of a weekend, guys," Hamilton said over the radio after the race. "The worst the car has ever been. Thanks for all your efforts, and great job to the pit crew. If this is the last time I get to race, it's a shame it wasn’t better, but I'm still grateful for you all."
Asked about his mindset ahead of Saturday's Las Vegas Grand Prix, Hamilton, who is nearing the final three races of his 12-year stint with Mercedes before moving to Ferrari, admitted, "In that moment, I honestly felt like I didn’t want to come back after that weekend."
"In the heat of the moment, for sure, I would much rather be on the beach, chilling, and I don’t need to do this. But I’m here, I love this job, and I’m going to give it my all in these last few races and finish strong. That was always the plan."
Hamilton finished 50 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen, who started behind him on the grid in Brazil, and 27 seconds adrift of teammate George Russell, who crossed the line in fourth.
Hamilton, who ended a two-and-a-half-year winless streak at the British Grand Prix in July, is seventh in the world championship, 203 points behind Verstappen and a place and two points behind Russell.
His performance at the rain-lashed race in Sao Paulo courted criticism, but speaking to Sky Sports, the 39-year-old, who has won six of his record-equalling seven titles with Mercedes, added: "Honestly, I feel in the best place I’ve been all year mentally, and considering how bad the last race was, I think that says enough.
"I’ve been around this game for a long time. There’s been so many things that are said about me. There’s been so many microaggressions – obviously not from my boss (Toto Wolff), because he’s been supportive over all these years, and we’ve achieved a lot together – but I mean in general, within the media, and through it all, and nothing can take me down.
"I’m still here, still fighting, and I’m going to continue to push. I’ve got a team that I genuinely still love, and even though I am 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, then hopefully we’ll have a better result."